The Jedi From Earth
by crod42
Summary: Jack is blasted into a malfunctioning Space Bridge courtesy of Megatron. No sooner does Jack regain consciousness that he is caught in the Clone Wars with aliens, clones, and Jedi with mystical powers. When he discovers that he has these powers, the threats rise exponentially. Decepticons, Sith, or other enemies will target him. Jack has two choices now: fight or die! Rated PG-13.
1. Chapter 1

The Jedi From Earth

**DISCLAIMER: (sigh) If only I owned Star Wars or Transformers, but I don't.**

**NOTE: This takes place right after Season 2: Episode 3 Orion Pax Part 3 of Transformers Prime, and during Season 1: Episode 13 Jedi Crash of the only franchise with Jedi. The past, including how Jack arrived will be explained via flashbacks.**

* * *

"Talking is this."  
_Thoughts are this._  
_"Thought conversations are this."_

* * *

Chapter 1: Wait What!?

Jackson Darby groaned as he regained consciousness, his body aching from the impact. The last thing he remembered was flying into the Space Bridge thanks to a shockwave courtesy of Megatron. His first thought was that he was back on Cybertron, but the surroundings clearly told him otherwise.

The scenery consisted of beautiful, green landscapes that were untouched by anything technological. A soft breeze blew in his direction, blowing his messy hair slightly. His troubles were put on hold as he examined this place. He figured he was on Earth, giving that he could breathe the free air, and that this was an untouched utopia. He pulled out his cell phone, but was disappointed to see that it was destroyed.

Then, worry started to creep in. Optimus, Arcee, his mom; they would all be extremely worried about him. Jack doubted that his mom would ever let him _near_ the Autobots after this was over.

He ripped off his astronaut uniform that he used on Cybertron, which was wrecked, and left his shirt and jeans on. No use bringing around extra luggage. He picked up a random stick on the ground to defend himself before venturing off north; at least he hoped it was north. Any direction that he would go, he was bound to run into some sort of civilization. Fortunately, the Decepticons wouldn't waste their time trying to find him and even if they wanted to, they couldn't track him by his phone. For now, he was alone.

After a few hours of hiking, hunger and thirst began to settle in, but he pushed on through. Jack was too stubborn to quit at the moment. Except for endless seas of grass, there was nothing edible to eat. At least he wasn't desperate enough to eat the bugs that were trying to eat him alive.

Miraculously, he spotted smoke rising in the sky. Where there's smoke, there's fire. With a new sense of urgency, Jack ran as fast as he could towards what he hoped was a campfire. With a little convincing, he could probably borrow a cell phone and contact the Autobots to GroundBridge him out of this place.

He started to slow down as he drew near since he didn't want to startle the campers. Taking shelter behind tall grass, Jack peered through his hiding place to see if anyone was home.

What he saw wasn't even remotely close to what he expected.

Five, white-armored, armed men were setting up camp. Two of the men were on patrol, one was setting up a fire, and the final two, who had different colors with their white armor, were building a rather large tent. He also noticed a girl in a funky headdress go inside the tent slowly, leaving Jack alone with the five men with guns. Briefly, he wondered what kind of men would wear white armor, but there would be time for questions later. He figured they were some kind of soldiers.

Cautiously, he went with his gut and stepped out into the clearing.

"Hold it right there!" one of the soldiers commanded, pointing his gun at Jack.

The teenager dropped the stick and raised his hands in the air. "I mean no harm."

Immediately, the other men noticed the commotion and aimed their weapons at him.  
_  
Not a good start, Jack._ He thought inwardly, regretting his decision.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the first soldier demanded.

"My name is Jack Darby and I have been stranded out here," he answered, slowly.

"I'll handle this, Cameron," another soldier, the one with blue colors, said. Two of the men back away, but their weapons were still being aimed at Jack's heart. The blue man turned his helmeted face to the boy. "How'd you get stranded out here, anyhow?"

Coming up with a lie on the spot, Jack replied with, "Survival training. They dropped me off here so I can successfully return home or die trying. It's the way it works."

Shaking his head as if he was disappointed, the blue man took his helmet off. His face screamed military with the almost-bald head. Jack gulped nervously under the hard stare he was receiving from this man. "Kid, I know a lie when I hear one," he mentioned. "Are you some sort of spy?"

"Spy!?" he exclaimed, flabbergasted. "Why would I be spying on a campsite? I mean… you five guys with _guns_ are camping, right?" _Come to think of it, why are these people guarding a tent?_

"What is going on out here?" a female, French-accented voice asked from behind.

Jack practically dislocated his jaw at the sight of the two female newcomers.

One was completely blue with weird head-tail things, and the other was orange with tattoos and weird head-tail things. Both of these aliens wore outfits that probably violated a few Dress Codes, but Jack wisely did not stare. He did not want to get on the bad side of anyone at the moment. Judging from the dirt on their bodies, they seemed to have tripped and fell at one point. He also noticed two, metal hilts on their sides that seemed…weird.

"General Secura," the blue soldier said, "we found him snooping around in the bushes."

"I wasn't snooping," Jack shot back, annoyed and letting his fear of potentially hostile aliens go for a second. "If I was snooping, I wouldn't be so obvious as to _step out in the clearing and approach the five men with __**guns.**_" He emphasized the last part.

"Why does he keep emphasizing our weapons?" Cameron asked.

"Because I would have to be extremely stupid to be a threat to you guys," he answered.

"Calm down," the blue alien, General Secura, advised. "I sense that you are apprehensive."  
_  
Sense? That's kinda creepy._ He thought to himself, shaking on the inside. _I must be going mad. There's no way that aliens are secretly living on Earth. Wait…the Autobots and Decepticons do, but I'm talking about humanoid aliens that have adopted our language. She even _speaks_ in a French accent. Thank God Miko isn't here. She'd be all over these people. What do I say: welcome to Earth? _

"Sorry, I didn't know aliens occupied Earth," Jack stated, trying not to panic.

The orange girl with tattoos bristled at that. "Aliens!? Did you just call us that!?"

"Okay, whoa!" Jack exclaimed, backing up and raising his hands again. "That's what the humans here call people from space."

Orange Girl scoffed. "Only the dumb ones."

"Ahsoka, enough!" General Secura exclaimed. "Jedi do not treat others like that. You know better than that!"  
_  
Jedi? Is that their species? Who are these people?_

Orange Girl, Ahsoka, didn't talk back, but she didn't apologize either. Jack figured that there was something else going on underneath that angry exterior she was putting on.

General Secura decided to mend the situation. "My apologies. We would appreciate if you did not refer to us as aliens. We consider that an insult."

Jack nodded. "Sorry. It's just that I have never met other ali—people like you. I've only met humans." _And giant, alien robots._ "How are you speaking English?"

Secura gave him a confused look. "English? We are speaking in Basic as are you."

Jack scratched the back of his head nervously. "Okay, how are you speaking Basic?"

Ahsoka cleared her throat loudly. "Injured master in the giant tent, remember? We have to get help. Can you get us to your civilization?"

Jack's eyes widened. "What!?" He stepped back again. "No, no, no. You can't just walk up to a human on this planet!"

"We need help!" Ahsoka protested. "My master is dying. Won't they listen to reason?"

Part of Jack wanted to refuse, but he decided to trust his instincts on this one. Somehow, someway, these aliens seemed trustworthy. He just couldn't place how. Not to mention the armed humans who were probably still willing to shoot him. _Wait, armed humans? Screw that for the moment. They need help._

"I'll see what I can do," he said at last. "Since I'm a little lost myself, we may as well stick around."

Ahsoka resisted the urge to comment on this kid's stupidity since Anakin's life was on the line. "Okay, Master Secura, Bly, and…this kid can go south. Rex and I will stay here with Anakin."

General Secura shook her head. "No, Ahsoka. In order to get help quickly, we must all work together."

"I can't leave him!" she cried. "Master, I know if I was hurt, he'd never leave me behind!"

"I know this is hard, Ahsoka, but Anakin has to stay behind and we have to go now!" she responded firmly. Seeing Ahsoka's face fall, she softened hers a bit. "There is nothing more we can do for him."

Ahsoka sighed sadly, realizing the truth.

Secura continued. "We must do all we can to get off this planet. As a Jedi, it is your duty to do what is best for the group."

"I'll try to help in any way I can," Jack promised. "As long as it doesn't involve you taking over our…" His voice trailed off. "How did you guys get here?"

"Our ship crashed in the middle of nowhere," the blue soldier answered. "Why?"

"Because something like that doesn't go unnoticed," Jack stated. "One of our satellites would have picked you up by our moon."

"We didn't see a moon," the soldier explained. "We just came out of hyperspace and crashed on your green planet. We didn't see a single moon."

Jack's eyes widened in horror when realization started to kick in. "Tell me when you saw this planet, you saw white and blue colors as well."

He shook his head. "Nope. Just green and brown."

Now, the teenager started to panic. He was on another planet…again! When he spoke again, he spoke rapidly. "No, no, no, no, no, no. This is not happening. This is all a bad dream. I can't be on another planet in the middle of nowhere. What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"

Once he started hyperventilating, then the group got concerned.

"He's having a panic attack!" the blue soldier exclaimed. "We need to-!"

Jack's eyes rolled up in the back of his head, and he promptly fainted.

"Well, there goes our tour guide," Ahsoka said.

"If I caught what he said correctly," Secura noticed, "he believes he's on a planet that is not his own."

"General Secura," the yellow-armored man interrupted, "we're not the only ones here."

He handed her a stone tablet which had a picture carved into it. The picture consisted of a four-legged creature attacking a two-legged one in front of a tree.

Yellow Soldier went on. "There has to be some kind of…something here."

Suddenly, a roar was sounded in the distance. Yellow and Blue Soldier turned on their visor lights and took a look around, aiming their guns at whatever was coming. They were definitely not alone.

Seeing that there was nothing…yet, Yellow Soldier asked, "If you don't mind me asking, General Secura, where exactly are we going?"

"To go find the people who live on this planet," she answered.

"Where are we going to find them? We have no idea where they are."

Ahsoka took a long look at the tablet. "It seems to me that the people we're looking for live near giant trees."

"Very perceptive, Padawan," General Secura complemented.

A short, yet loud, scream made all the people give Jack, who was now conscious, their undivided attention.

"Damn it!" he swore. "It wasn't a bad dream."

"Keep your voice down," Ahsoka chided. "Whatever lives on this planet may have a thing for human flesh."

Jack ignored her, still panicking. "How am I gonna get home? What am I going to do?"

General Secura waved her hand in front of the kid. "You must stay calm, young one."

It was like a wind that blew away his senses of anxiety and fear. For the moment, he felt safe with these aliens.

"Whatever you did, thank you," Jack said before continuing, this time in a calm manner. "I don't know how to get home, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" she asked with a smirk. "I'm not that old. My name is Aayla Secura. You may call me Aayla or General Secura if you feel the need for formalities."

"Sorry, uh, Aayla," he responded, scratching his head again. "I don't know what to do."

"I think the kid should go with you, General," Blue Soldier suggested. "I can't watch General Skywalker and this kid."

"Does 'this kid' get a vote?" he asked, frustrated that his name to them was This Kid.

"For your best interests, you should come with us," Aayla advised in a non-threatening way. "This planet may be hostile. I know Captain Rex is a capable soldier, but he would be your only line of defense."

Jack nodded his head agreement. "Okay. Since I'm technically the alien around here, you guys should lead the way."

Ahsoka approached the tent and knelt down. "Be strong, Master! Just a little bit longer. Rex will watch over you."

Jack looked in the tent to see a human lying unconscious. He was covered in a few bandages, but he did look horrible. His body had a few burns as well as cuts and bruises. It looked like this man had escaped barely from an explosion. Jack figured that it was from the crash they talked about.

"It is time to go," General Secura stated.

Blue Soldier, Captain Rex, gave Ahsoka a comforting smile. "Don't worry, kid. I'll take good care of him." He held his blaster up to further assure her.

"Captain Rex, keep your locator on!" General Secura ordered. "We should be back by daybreak with whomever or whatever lives on this planet."

Rex nodded. "Got it, General Secura." He looked at Ahsoka. "Hey, kid. Good luck."

Ahsoka smiled back before joining the troops.

Secura turned to Jack. "How long can you run?"

"As long as I have to," he answered.

"Good. Let's move out!"

Ahsoka, General Secura, Jack, Yellow Soldier, and four soldiers started to run north of the campsite. For a couple of hours they kept up the same pace until they decided to walk in order to rejuvenate.

"So, you have a name, kid?" Yellow Soldier asked.

"Name's Jack Darby," he answered. "I'm from Planet Earth."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Some name for a planet."

"Are you still upset that I called you a you-know-what?" Jack asked, getting sick of her animosity towards him.

She shook her head. "I have a hard time trusting you. For all we know, you could be lying."

"He's not," Aayla interrupted. "I can sense his fear, anxiety, and other emotions that no one can fake, young Padawan."  
_  
At least the good-looking woman has my back. _He thought with a smirk.

"I'm glad you think I am good-looking, Jack," she said with a mischievous grin.

Horror returned to the teenager as the soldiers got a good laugh out of that. "Did you just read my mind?" _I can't believe she heard that. Oh, scrap! I'm thinking again! Wait, did I just think that? What is wrong with me? _

Ahsoka started to chuckle. "I think you need to lie down, buddy."

Trying to amend the situation while his face was turning red, Jack stuttered, "Wait, what I meant to say was, um-."_  
_  
Aayla gave him a mock-glare. "Oh, so I am not good-looking?"

Blushing furiously, he exclaimed, "No, you are! It's just that—oh, scrap!"

The laughter increased from everyone, save for Aayla, who was chuckling. Jack's face was now as red as a tomato.

"I never thought you, of all people, would pull that stunt, Master," Ahsoka laughed.

"Sometimes, levity is needed, even in war," she replied, smirking, "although, what I did was very un-Jedi like."

Aayla turned to Jack, who was avoiding her gaze in deep embarrassment and shame. Her smile vanished, replaced with guilt. "Forgive me, Jack. I shouldn't have said anything. Your thoughts were broadcasting loud enough for us to hear them, but it doesn't excuse that I made a fool out of you."

"How are you doing it?" he asked suddenly. "How am I not freaked out by you guys? How come I feel safe with you guys, despite your ability to read my mind?"

"Jedi have that presence with many people," she answered. "Because we are peacekeepers of the Republic, we give out an aura of warmth and security."

"The Republic? What's that?"

"The Republic is our priority. The people don't serve us. _We_ serve _them_. The Republic is a galactic government that spreads for out in the galaxy. Many times, people from other world come together in the Senate to discuss issues. Many times, Jedi are called upon to resolve these issues as peacefully as possible."

"You make it sound so simple," Jack observed.

Aayla gave a sad smile. "It isn't. Like with every government, dissention is inevitable. Unfortunately, many star systems seceded from the Republic and joined the Confederacy of Independent Systems, or Separatists, as we call them."  
_  
That can only mean one thing, damn it._ "You guys are fighting in a war, aren't you?"

Ahsoka nodded. "The Clone Wars. I take it you've never heard of it."

Jack was more annoyed than frightened at the thought of another war. "You got it in one. Great." He gestured to the soldiers. "And you guys are clone, I take it?"

"That's right, kid," Commander Bly responded. "I'm part of the 327th Star Corps. My three brothers, Cameron, Lucky, and Flash, serve under Captain Rex's 501st Legion."

Jack was once again awestruck. "Incredible! Actual clones. I feel…honored in a way. How many of you are there?"

"Millions," Flash answered. "Probably more."

Jack had never been happier to know that these people weren't planning to attack Earth. He believed they would have no chance.

"You're gonna get flies in there, kid," Bly mentioned.

The teenager closed his mouth. "Wow!"

Aayla decided to have a chat with Ahsoka "I can still sense your worry for Anakin, your attachment to him."

Ahsoka sighed. "It's just…I get so confused sometimes. It's forbidden for Jedi to form attachments, yet we're supposed to be compassionate."

"It is nothing to be ashamed of," Aayla replied. "I went through the same process when I was your age with my own master."

That caught Ahsoka off guard. "Really? You?"

"He was like a father to me. I realized that for the greater good, I had to let him go. Don't lose a thousand lives just to save one."

"That doesn't mean that we can't try to save his life," Jack added, joining the conversation.

Aayla nodded in agreement. "True."

"Going back to the matter at hand, how am I gonna get home?" he asked.

"We have to attend to Anakin first," Aayla said. "As you said, we must do our best to save his life."

Jack stayed silent for a while, letting everything sink in. _Clones, aliens, an intergalactic war; it doesn't get any easier._

Meanwhile, Ahsoka and Aayla were having a private conversation via the Force.  
_  
"Do you sense it, Padawan?"_ Aayla asked. "_The Force is very strong in him, yet he does not know."_

"I sensed it too," she replied. _"He's not a Jedi, but he's not lying about his past either. I think the Council might be interested."_  
_  
"We will see. It is up to him, but I believe he will come with us."_

They continued to walk down the path through the night until they reached a tree that, to Jack, gave the Tree of Life in Disney World a run for its money. Cautiously, the seven of them walked under the tree, looking around for any life.

"I don't see any life around here," Bly observed.

Their investigation was interrupted by the sound of rumbling. Jack looked up to see a giant boulder fall from the tree towards him. Aayla tackled him away from the boulder seconds before it crashed to the ground. More of them plummeted towards them, but the clones and Ahsoka managed to get away from the danger.

"No wonder it's deserted!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "It's a death trap! You'd have to be crazy to dodge those on a daily basis!"  
_  
Wait until she meets Miko._ Jack thought with a smirk. _Ahsoka would _beg_ to dodge these boulders._

On closer inspection, the boulders turned out to be giant seedpods. Given the size of the trees, it was no wonder as to why they were so large.

Aayla took another look around and found a trail nearby. "Looks like someone or something intelligent enough to figure out a use for the pods has dragged them away. All we have to do is follow the trail."

"Brilliant deduction, Holmes!" Jack responded, adopting a British accent. Seeing the confused looks on their faces, he said, "I got it from an entertaining show."

Not wanting to lose time, the group ran down the trail as fast as they could. Time was running out for their comrade.

**And this is chapter one. Like or hate it, please review. This is an idea I've been having for a while and I know that others have been starting on their stories where Jack goes to the Star Wars universe, I want to give it a shot myself. I think it's funny that Clone Wars crossovers usually start on this Lemur planet.**

**I hope Aayla wasn't OOC. I read that she was slightly impulsive and mischievous, so I decided to give her a moment to embarrass Jack (that takes no trouble to do). **

**Nest chapter: Jack uses the Force for the first time and meets the Lemur natives.**

**Tune in next time. Review, criticize without flames, and vote for my other story _The Sky Warriors._**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Extreme Pacifists

Jack knew that any other teenager would have been exhausted from running at this point, but considering that running from Decepticons was an occupational hazard, the running he was currently doing wasn't that strenuous. He started to get a pit in his stomach, believing that they were being hunted. After all, they were all running as if they were the prey. Were Aayla and Ahsoka hiding something, or did they sense that Anakin was drifting closer to death?

A rather loud bird call brought him out of his thoughts as the group came to a halt in the middle of a clearing. There was rustling in the grass that added to the suspense.

"What was that?" Jack asked, frightened.

"Quiet!" Ahsoka whispered harshly, gripping her metal hilt.

The rustling from the grass increased until three bird-like creatures leaped out from their hiding place, seeking prey to feast on.

"On your left!" Lucky yelled, aiming his gun at the thing.

He was knocked into the air before he could even get a shot off. The impact on the ground cracked his neck, killing him. The two Jedi pulled out what looked like giant glowsticks from the metal hilts, but they were knocked aside. Bly shared the same fate. Jack grabbed Lucky's gun and tried to shoot the bird thing only to be pinned down by it. The talons, or claws, or whatever the hell the thing had, tore his leg, causing a cry of pain to sound from Jack's mouth. With its massive beak, it tried to chomp the teenager to bits while he tried to hold it back with his unpinned hand. Flash and Cameron were both pinned down before the birds starting chomping on their necks, opening their throats.

With fear and urgency coursing through him, Jack reached for Lucky's gun again while keeping the beak away from his face. As his strength started to fail, the gun slid over to his hand impossibly. He shot the bird-thing in the chin four times. Four blue lasers exited the top of its brain, ending the creature's life. Bly shot the bird that was feasting on Flash in the eye, killing it as well. Seeing that its comrades were dead, the final bird-thing tossed Cameron's body into Bly before fleeing the scene. The whole ordeal lasted 18 seconds.

Aayla and Ahsoka levitated the bird-thing off of Jack, who was completely petrified. He never had a close call like this one before.

"Cameron's dead!" Bly announced. "So are Lucky and Flash!"

At the sight of their bodies, particular Flash's, Jack ran into the bushes and started vomiting. He had never seen human death before, but the images were carved  
into his mind, threatening to haunt him in his sleep.

Ahsoka ran to his aide and put her hand on his shoulder. "It's over, Jack."

"It was horrible!" he gasped, trying to control his emotions. "Oh, God, the blood!"

Aayla wished that she could give the boy time to let it all out, but there was no time. "We have to keep moving. There may be more of them."

Jack attempted to stand up, but a gash in his leg made him fall down directly in front of Flash's corpse. Once again, he threw up from the smell and the sight.

Aayla and Ahsoka levitated the bodies and the mess into the bushes while Bly approached Jack with a canteen of water.

"Drink, kid," he offered. "You need it."

Panting heavily, Jack replied with, "I don't want to deprive you guys. I can manage." He tried to stand up, but he fell down again.

"Clearly," Bly stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Realizing that it was a lost cause, Jack gave up. "Fine."

He took a few gulps of water before the rest was used to clean out his wound, which ran from his ankle to his foot. Ahsoka carefully bandaged the wound with a first-aid kit while Aayla kept watch for more of the birds. She did send a telepathic thought to Jack, telling him to be strong.

"What the hell were those things?" Jack asked, gritting his teeth in pain.

"I've never seen a creature like that before," Ahsoka admitted, tightening the bandage.

"Commander Bly, can you carry him?" Aayla asked.

"Right away, General," Bly responded, hoisting Jack over his shoulders. "Try to keep still, kid. We've got a long way to go."

"Thank you," he said. "All of you."

Nodding in response, the three dashed down the path with time still against them. Despite the awkward position he was in, Jack let exhaustion overcome him as he slipped away into slumber.

* * *

_"Are you…certain I am worthy?" Optimus asked hesitantly._

Jack held up the Key to Vector Sigma. "You have no idea."

The Key shot out a white beam of light into Optimus's spark, downloading the Matrix into him. This, however, did not go unnoticed by Megatron, who was coming at them like a deranged rhino. Ratchet tried to block his path, but the Decepticon leader swatted the medic aside like a fly. Megatron fired several lasers at them, but he missed, hitting the space bridge instead.

"NO!" Megatron roared, bringing out his sword.

His downward slash was caught between Optimus's hands.

"Megatron," he declared, giving the Decepticon a cold stare, "be gone!"

Optimus punched him in the face, causing Megatron to stumble back. But the Autobot leader wasn't finished. He delivered three more punches before the final one sent Megatron crashing into the wall. The Autobots formed up around their leader, ready to defend him.

"Ratchet, how did we arrive here?" Optimus asked.

"Long story, old friend," the medic answered.

Megatron was hardly through. He knew that Optimus would be practically unstoppable now, but he could at least make him suffer. He knew that the Space Bridge was starting to malfunction from the damage it took, and he would use it to his advantage. He only had one chance, and he took it.

Megatron fired a few more shots, but only aimed one of them. The one that was aimed, passed the Autobots barely, bur Jack wasn't so lucky. While the shot didn't hit him, the blast did. The force of it was strong enough to send him hurling back into the Space Bridge. The last thing he heard was Arcee screaming his name.

* * *

"NO!" Jack yelled, regaining consciousness.

Bly, who was still carrying him, tumbled to the ground in surprise. The Jedi once again stopped in their tracks due to the teenager's antics.

"What was that about!?" the clone demanded, getting back up.

"I had a nightmare," Jack answered, groaning in pain. "It was more of a memory than anything."

Bly hoisted him to his feet and the group continued moving up the hill; this time, at a slower pace. Jack could walk, finally, but he had a limp. Bly stayed next to him in case he fell over again.

Once they reached the top of the hill, a city was laid before them. The giant seedpods were converted into houses, and it was clearly brimming with life.

"Pod Central," Ahsoka said with a grin. "We made it."

The trio sled down the hill before Ahsoka levitated Jack down.

"Thanks, Ahsoka," he said.

"Don't mention it," she replied as they entered the city.

The city consisted of anthropomorphic lemurs, who were clearly eying the strangers with a mixture of fear and distrust. Ahsoka attempted to break the ice by saying, "Hello," but it didn't work. An elderly lemur that wore a yellow robe limped towards them. The grumpy look on his face made Jack smirk, thinking of the Autobot that always had that look.

"What have you come here for?" the lemur asked, cutting right to the chase.  
_  
No hellos or introductions._ Jack thought grimly. _Not a good sign._

"We are peacekeepers," Aayla answered. "We are Jedi from the Galactic Republic."

The elder's eyes narrowed and the word "Jedi."

The Jedi Master went on. "Our ship crashed a few miles away, and one of us is very, badly injured."

"He looks fine to me," the lemur replied, pointing at Jack.

The teenager shook his head. "It's not me; it's another guy. I could use some medicine, but he is a bigger priority."

"We need your help," Aayla implored.

"Violence only breeds violence!" the elder lectured. "Jedi are no peacekeepers."

"We are fighting for freedom!" Ahsoka shot back.

"And freedom requires fear and death?" he questioned. "We colonized this system to find solace from your wretched war. We came here to find peace. You must leave. You will only destroy what small amount of peace is left in the galaxy. You will only bring the destruction of us."

Jack clenched his teeth and his fists. He had no problems with pacifists, but a life was at stake.

Aayla continued to plead her case. "Regardless of the Clone Wars and our part in them, we still need our help."

Grouchy Lemur wouldn't back down. "I'm afraid I must do what's best for my people. We cannot help you."

"Can't, or won't?" Jack snarled, his anger rising. "This is a life on the line we are talking about! This isn't about sponsoring the fricking war; this is about decency! Are you going to let him die!?"

The elder pondered his words very carefully. Bowing his head, he ushered another lemur forward.

"I cannot ignore a plea for help," he admitted. "I will send my son, Wag Too, to help your friend. He is a healer, but only one Jedi may go with him. The other must stay as insurance. We wouldn't want a surprise attack on a village or the kidnapping of our only healer."

"Bly, Jack, and I will stay here," Aayla assured. "Padawan, go and help your master."

The elder's eyes widened in horror. "No! The clone and his blaster cannot stay. He will go with the youngling."

"I can handle it," Ahsoka responded arrogantly. "I don't need help."

"Ahsoka-!"

"Don't worry," she assured.

"Be mindful of your surroundings, Padawan," Aayla warned. "Those creatures are still out there."

"We won't be long," Ahsoka replied, running off.

Bly and Wag Too soon followed, the latter keeping up by spinning into a ball.

The lemur leader, whose name turned out to be Tee Watt Kaa, offered shelter to the both of them. Since their only healer was away (Jack mumbled about poor planning), the teenager would have to deal with the pain for a little while longer.

He handed them two glasses of a drink. "Here! It will restore your strength."

"Thank you," Aayla replied.

Jack just nodded his thanks before taking a sip. The drink was like tea with many herbs, but it was good nonetheless.

"I hope you are aware that the Jedi did not initiate the Clone Wars," she continued. "Our only intention is to end it and restore peace to our galaxy."

Tee Watt Kaa shook his head in frustration. "What difference does it make who started the war and who only wants to end it? No side is free of fault. It takes two to fight."

"Isn't liberty worth fighting for?" she questioned.

"They say that worst thing other than a battle lost is a battle won," Jack added, remembering the war-torn Cybertron. "When the dust clears, sometimes the things you were fighting for scattered to the winds. I am sorry for my earlier outburst. It was out of desperation."

The elder nodded in agreement. "You are wise, young one and I accept your apology."

Jack wasn't done. "I believe, though, that if someone threatens to kill your family, you would protect them with your life."

"True again, but is all of this worth killing for? Fighting for something doesn't mean you have to destroy everything in your path. Only when you lay down your arms and pursue a cause of nonviolence can you make this claim to me that the Jedi are peacekeepers."

Jack scoffed at the idea of Decepticons deciding to lay their arms down. "What about the ones that won't stop until everything is destroyed?" He limped out of the  
room to get a bit of fresh air. He sat on a log on the outskirts of the village, overlooking it. This place was a utopia to these creatures, and he understood Tee Watt Kaa's stance, but he believed that sometimes ending a life to save another has to be done.

"You would make a fine Jedi, Jack," Aayla said, sitting next to him.

He scoffed again. "Hardly. I don't wield glowsticks or have magic powers like you guys."

Aayla fought back the urge to tell him that he can wield the Force. Enough was on his plate at the moment. "You speak as if you are one, though. You saw both sides  
of the debate and did what you could to stay neutral. You are more mature than most people your age. Why is that?"

Jack paused again, wondering if he should just admit the truth or keep it to himself. Aayla seemed like a wise enough person to talk to and she viewed him as an equal, not as a child or someone who was helpless.

"When my sorry-excuse-for-a-dad left, it was just me and Mom. I didn't want to be a burden to her, so I made several sacrifices. I got a job when I turned sixteen to help finance my life and hers, and I rode a bicycle wherever I went so that Mom wouldn't have to waste money driving me around."

"You gave up your childhood to become an adult," Aayla observed. "Not many would be willing to make such a sacrifice."

"I always kept wondering about what could have been," Jack added, "but it's useless. I don't really know another life."

Aayla put a hand on his shoulder. "Not all are destined to live a life of peace and prosperity, Jack."

"That's comforting," he said with a snarky tone.

"Let me finish: someday you will find the peace you are looking for. You just have to wait and be patient."

Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind of the incident last night. "Wait a minute! When I reached for the blaster, it came to me. Did you push it to me?"

Aayla smiled, knowing that he remembered. "No, I did not, and neither did Ahsoka. You summoned it with the Force."

"The Force? What's that?"

"Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his or her power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together."

"Then why isn't everyone a Jedi?"

Aayla cringed. This was going to be tough to explain. "Inside our bodies lay midi-chlorians, microscopic life forms that reside inside of our cells. The midi-chlorians  
bond us with the Force; the higher the midi-chlorian count, the more powerful the bond is. Everyone has these life forms, but when a count is high enough, we are able to tap into the Force and receive special powers." She raised a stick in the air without touching it. "The most common is telekinesis." She placed the stick back on the ground. "Why don't you try?"

Jack shrugged. _I have nothing to lose._ "Um, okay. I'll give it a shot."

He stretched his hand towards the stick, but nothing happened.

"Don't think that you can achieve this," Aayla taught. "_Know_ you can. It's all in the mind. Concentrate."

Determined, Jack stretched out his hand again, but he decided to mentally coach himself. _I've seen what these people can do. If I have this ability as well, then I can do this. Maybe if I have a goal in mind, this could be easier. I know: I can see the look on everyone's faces when I do this in front of them. The wide-eyes of the Autobots, the dropped jaw of Miko, and the surprise from Mom. _

The stick rose higher than when Aayla lifted it. It was about fifty feet off the ground. When Jack dropped his jaw in amazement, he lost his concentration and the stick plummeted towards him. With telekinesis, Aayla prevented it from hitting his head, but she too was astounded.

"I'm impressed," she said, tossing the stick aside. "Not many can do that on their second try."

His grin widened. "Wait until Mom sees this. She'll flip! So, what's the glowstick about?"

She ignited her blade. "This is the lightsaber, the weapon of a Jedi. When one crafts it, the weapon becomes their life. As long as possible, no Jedi must let their weapon get destroyed."

Jack made a mental note to makes spares if he ever became a Jedi. "Can I hold it?"

She passed the blade to him, but not before delivering a warning. "Do not touch the blade. You will easily lose your hand."

Proceeding with caution, Jack held the blade by the hilt. In weight, the weapon was very light. However, he felt power emanating from the lightsaber. He swung it around a couple of times before deactivating it.

"Nice," he said, passing it back to her. "It's a beautiful weapon."

"Well, it must be if I have your approval," Aayla joked.

He smiled back, but another thought occurred to him. "I know that you guys are in the middle of a war right now, but is there any way for you guys to help me get home?"

Aayla paused for a moment before answering. "I don't know, young one. If we can find where you live, it will be easier, but if not…"

"I have less of a chance at getting home," Jack finished sadly.

At long last, the two of them spotted Ahsoka, Wag Too, and Bly returning, carrying a stretcher that held Anakin. Tee Watt Kaa was pleasantly surprised that his son was home and safe. As they placed the stretcher down, the lemurs surrounded Anakin in curiosity.

"Uh, Snips?" the man asked Ahsoka, clearly uncomfortable.

Jack snorted. "Snips? Really?"

A glare from the Togruta shut him up.

After taking a few minutes to stretch, Ahsoka and Bly carried Anakin to where Wag Too directed them. It was the house he used for healing. Jack stayed behind and watched the lemur put strange chemicals on Anakin.

"You need to let Wag Too have a look at your leg," Tee Watt Kaa advised.

"Oh, yeah," Jack replied, looking at his bandaged wound. "I almost forgot."

Within a few minutes, Jack was put in the same room as Wag Too replaced his bandages with ones coated with the strange chemicals.

"The oils from the pods will aide you in the healing process," he assured, throwing away the old bandages. "You should be well by tomorrow."

"Thanks, Wag Too," Jack responded, the oils soothing the pain. "If only the healers on my planet had stuff like this." _Healers? These people are rubbing off on me._

The mission to save Anakin was a success, but Jack knew that they had to find a way of the planet. According to the Jedi, the Republic was looking for them, but it could take days, weeks, maybe even months. All the teenager knew was that if he didn't find a way home, he would never see his mom or Arcee ever again, and that only fueled his determination.  
_  
Don't give up, guys. I'm coming soon._

* * *

**You know what the hardest part of the story was? Explaining the Force simply. I didn't want to go through the mumbo-jumbo today, so I settled for something simple. I'm not overly fond of this chapter, but I have to start somewhere. Hope you guys like it. As usual, review, criticize, and vote.**

**Jack **_**will**_** become a Jedi, but who will train him, I wonder? **

**Next chapter: Jack's first battle.**

**NOTE: 1 review, 4 favorites, and 5 followers in two days…..wow!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Liberating Lemurs

For the next couple of days, the outsiders resided in Pod Central, as Ahsoka liked to call it. Jack considered the stay the ultimate get-out-of-your-house-and-live-without-technology adventure. While he wasn't a technological person, he missed being able to have fast-food meals or instant transportation. The Lurmen, not lemurs, as he had been corrected for the umpteenth time, were vegetarians, mostly because of their extreme pacifism.

Still, it wasn't that hard to get used to. Bly would help the Lurmen stack baskets of harvested fruits and vegetables they were storing for the days to come. In case the harvest season wasn't plentiful, the Lurmen would be prepared. Jack and Anakin officially met with the latter instantly distrusting him. To Jack, the apple didn't fall far from the tree when concerning Ahsoka. Thanks to the intervention of the others, Anakin went from not trusting Jack to mildly cautious.

Since the Jedi and the clones weren't exactly on chummy with Tee Watt Kaa, Jack took it upon himself to entertain the youthful Lurmen. He decided to leave out all the violent aspects of his life and picked his favorite stories.

"So, there we were," he told, catching their attention, "ready to have a race. Unfortunately, the jerk took a head start, but that wouldn't faze me. I sped down the road directly behind him. We were at the halfway point. By now, he was already bragging about how he'd beaten me. Suddenly, _WHOOSH!_ I raced past him after popping a wheelie while I finished first!"

The Lurmen applauded at Jack's victory, even if they didn't know what a wheelie was. Even Elder Kaa grinned. Even though it was out of revenge, no one was hurt, save for the other boy's pride.

"You certainly showed him!" a boy Lurmen exclaimed.

"Quite a storyteller, aren't you?" Ahsoka observed with a smile, approaching them.

Jack shrugged. "Someone's gotta keep the kids entertained."

"Mind if we talk privately?" she asked.

"Sure," he answered, curious as to what the Togruta wanted.

When they were away from the village, Jack pulled up a seat, which was the ground in this case, and Ahsoka sat across from him.

"I wanted to apologize for how I treated you when we first met," she started. "It was uncalled for."

"Anakin's life was at risk," Jack replied off-handedly. "Emotions were high and scattering around. The fact that I practically came out of nowhere gave you guys enough reason to not trust me. I understand completely."

Ahsoka wasn't convinced. "Still, as a Jedi, I should still give people the benefit of the doubt."

Jack raised his eyebrows slightly, concerned. "Do you berate yourself like this when you make a mistake?"

"I am trying to become a Jedi Knight," she explained. "The way I treated you is not the Jedi way."

"You're starting to sound like that grumpy elder," Jack observed. He would've continued if he didn't notice Commander Bly rush Anakin Skywalker's tent. Something was going on.

"Oh no," Ahsoka gasped, looking in the opposite direction.

Jack looked to where she was staring and spotted a weird, brown aircraft making its descent miles outside the village.

"Friendlies?" Jack hoped.

"Separatists," she corrected with clenched teeth.

The two of them rushed to the medical tent where the Lurmen were gathering. Tee Watt Kaa was in front, interrogating Anakin and Aayla.

"What menace have you brought to our village now, Jedi?" he questioned, furious.

"Father, you can't blame them!" Wag Too defended.

"He's right," Ahsoka added. "The Separatists don't even know we're here."

"And they _can't_ know," Aayla said with urgency. "We've got to hide."

Elder Kaa wasn't through. "Your presence here endangers us. You must leave before your enemies find you."

Ahsoka widened her eyes in horror. "But you'll need our help."

"We can help by not getting caught," Jack suggested. "If the Separatists are as bad as you say they are, then any sign of Republic or Jedi presence will give the creeps a reason to exterminate the Lurmen."

"They can't fight them alone!" the Togruta protested.

"We will not fight them at all," Elder Kaa decided. "We would rather die than kill others."  
_  
It sounds noble, but it just makes it easier to be walked over._ Jack thought, crossing his arms.

"You're going to surrender?" she asked, growing more horrified by the second. "But, how can you-?"

"Ahsoka, stop!" Anakin interrupted, grunting in pain. "If the Lurmen want to remain neutral, we won't force them into war."

"See to it that they leave," Elder Kaa commanded his son. "I must see what our _new_ visitors want."

As the elder limped away, Wag Too was kind enough to stock Ahsoka's pack with food supplies for the journey back. Captain Rex and Commander Bly helped Anakin to his feet. He wrapped his arms around them so they could hold him up. Wag Too led them to a hiding spot in the village, but the Separatists already entered the colony.

Jack spotted tan, skinny robots in great numbers firing warning shots and kicking over the Lurmen's baskets. The pacifists could do nothing but watch and scream. He saw the commander of this army: a fat guy who was taking great pride in the displeasure of the Lurmen. He was flanked by two, man-sized, gray robots armed with wrist blasters.

All of these people had one thing in common: they were not to be trifled with.

Wag Too was beside himself. "Why are they tearing apart our homes? We've done nothing to them!"

"Because they can!" Jack snarled.

Ahsoka was equally pissed. "Those droids are only programmed to destroy everything in their path." She turned to Aayla. "Can't we do _anything_?"

Aayla shook her head. "No! If we are discovered, all of the Lurmen will be slaughtered."

"We'll be okay if we can make it to the tall grasses," Anakin assured.

Quickly, but calmly, the outsiders dashed into the grasses, hiding from the view of the Separatist army. They continued to travel inward until they were well enough away from the village. They sat down to rest and compare notes.

"You know, I can't figure those villagers not wanting to fight," Bly wondered.

Rex scoffed. "No pride, I guess."

"I call it no courage," Ahsoka observed.  
_  
Enter the lecture._ Jack thought. _There have been a lot of those lately._

"Sometimes, it takes courage to stick to one's beliefs, young Padawan," Aayla lectured. "As any Jedi well knows."

"I've met pacifists in my day," Jack said, "but Tee Watt Kaa takes the prize."

"Regardless," Anakin interrupted, "we need to find a ship." A grin appeared on his face. "And I think the only one here belongs to the Separatists."

Suddenly, Jack had this strange feeling that they were being watched. Without looking too suspicious, he turned his head in every possible direction slowly in case his instincts were right.

Anakin droned on about his reckless plane. "We know they have a landing craft. They might have a shuttle."

"Sir, you talking about stealing from one of the clankers?" Rex asked. "Count me in!"

"We need to _find _them first," Aayla said.

Randomly, Jack lunged into the grasses behind Aayla, wrestling something down. Aayla sliced the grasses aside to see Jack pinning a black droid down with all his might.

"I found one!" he exclaimed with mock-happiness.

Aayla recognized the type of droid immediately. "Move! NOW!"

Jack relinquished his grip on the droid as Aayla sliced it in half.

"How did you know it was there?" Anakin asked, suspicious.

"I followed my instincts," he answered. "What was it?"

"A probe droid," Aayla answered, deactivating her saber. "If I didn't destroy it in time, it would have transmitted our location to the Separatists."

"Nice work, kid!" Rex complemented, slapping his shoulder.

"Where do you think it would have headed?" Ahsoka asked.

"Since it was facing us," Jack observed, "maybe, that way?" He pointed south.

"Time for another walk," Bly announced.

The group trudged onward with Anakin lagging behind. They tried to help him, but he was too stubborn to accept their help. Eventually, they came across the trees they encountered a few nights ago.

"Maybe we can see them from up there," Aayla suggested.

Jack was less than thrilled by this idea. "Uh, remember the death trap we barely avoided last time?"

"Have a little faith, young one," she replied. "We will be fine."

"How well can you climb, kid?" Bly asked.

"Never climbed a tree before," he admitted.

Bly fired a grappling hook into the tallest branches before handing it to Jack. "Push this button here and hold on. When you reach the top, toss it back down. Oh, and try not to scream."

Jack nodded, pushing the button.

At a great speed, he zoomed to the top, desperately trying to hold back his screams. He let go after finding a nice spot to land. He was shaking and panted heavily out of fear before tossing the grappling gun back down. The clones went next with the grappling guns, but the Jedi easily jumped to the top.

"Showoffs," Jack muttered.

Ahsoka borrowed Rex's binoculars and took a look south. Judging by the frown on her face, it wasn't good.

From afar, Jack could see the outlines of a metal garrison that probably housed hundreds of droids.

"I hope you're feeling better, Master," Ahsoka hoped as Anakin reached the top, "because look what we found."

Anakin took the binoculars before replying, arrogantly, "I'm getting stronger all the time, Snips." He smile instantly vanished. "But, I'm not sure I'm ready for that." He continued to looking until he found what they needed to find. "That shuttle's our ticket off this rock."

"It's not gonna be easy, sir," Bly warned. "There doesn't seem to be any flaws in their security line."

Anakin's frown deepened. "Apparently, the Separatists have a new toy. See if you can get a closer look."

"Yes, sir," Bly replied.

"I'll go with you, Commander," Rex offered.

"So, how do you plan to swipe the shuttle under their noses?" Jack asked extremely concerned.

"I'll think of something," Anakin answered. "So, Ahsoka and Aayla tell me you are a Force-sensitive."

"I guess so," he replied.

"Are you planning on being a Jedi?"

"One problem at a time, Skywalker," Aayla advised, sensing Jack's anxiety.

Suddenly, a missile fired into the air and landed near where the clones were scouting. The impact caused a wave of fire to come swooping down the terrain, destroying everything in its path. Rex managed to grapple on to a branch, but Bly tripped over a log. Immediately, Aayla sliced a vine and swung down to retrieve  
the commander. Barely, she managed to save his life as they went back to the top of the tree.

Once again, Jack was flabbergasted. "That…was really cool."

She smiled back. "Someday, you may be able to do this, young one."

"That's some toy," Ahsoka observed, horrified. "It took out every living thing."

Jack put his back against the tree, thinking. _Okay, the Separatists have a weapon that's their version of a nuclear bomb. But why waste it on the ground when they can easily…scrap!_

"That was just a test run!" Jack exclaimed. "They're going after the Lurmen! Think about it! If anything you told me about the Separatists is true, then why would they waste valuable resources to come all the way here?"

"The Lurmen are an experiment to them," Anakin snarled.

"Those villagers won't stand a chance," Aayla realized.

"First, we'll take out the droid's communications station," he said, "then after we get a shuttle, we'll go back and help the Lurmen."

"Good luck convincing Elder Pacifist of this," Jack snorted.

"He's right," Ahsoka agreed. "Tee Watt Kaa said he didn't need our help."

"There's a difference between pulling innocents into war and leaving them to extinction," Anakin stated, leaving no room for argument.  
_  
Wow! _Jack thought. _On the one hand, he's an arrogant, stubborn mule. On the…other… shoot!_

Obviously hearing his thoughts, Anakin gave Jack a menacing glare before climbing down the tree.

"When this is over," Ahsoka said, "we need to help you shield your thoughts.

* * *

As night approached them, the group activated their plan to get into the garrison. Dodging the searchlights, Aayla and Ahsoka hurried to the wall, sticking to the shadows. Four battle droids blocked their route, but Anakin would remedy that. With the Force, he started moving a rock around in front of them.

"Hey, what was that!?" the battle droid exclaimed.

Like a complete idiot, it followed the moving rock straight into the bushes where it was decapitated by Anakin's lightsaber. While the three remaining droids investigating the commotion, the two females wall-jumped the garrison until they reached the top. Once the three droids were away from the searchlights, Anakin, Rex, and Bly destroyed them quickly. On top of the wall, Aayla cut down more battle droids that were on top of the wall while Ahsoka, after slicing two battle droids, opened the door.

"Come on, Jack!" Anakin urged quietly as Rex and Bly climbed in.

Narrowly dodging the searchlights, Jack followed them quickly. All four of them hid behind crates as a patrol passed by.

"Stay here," Anakin commanded as he went with Rex and Bly to take out the droids in the communications center.

If there was one thing in the world Jack hated the most, it was feeling helpless. Still, in retrospect, everyone else was better at the stealth thing than he was, making that reason number 38 as to why he was glad Miko was not here.

"Hey, why is this door open?"  
_  
Crap!_

Two battle droids marched to the door without noticing Jack crouching behind the crates. He knew that if these droids were smart enough, they would figure out that they have been infiltrated. However, if he tried to attack them, he could end up alerting the base.

Fortunately, an idea came to him.

"Let's do a perimeter scan," the battle droid suggested. "We may not be alone."

"Roger, roger," the other one responded.

By impossible means, their short lifespan was ended by the door crushing them.

Jack grinned at his handiwork. He telekinetically pushed the button that activates the door.

"Impressive!" a voice said behind him.

Jack nearly screamed, but a hand clamped over his mouth.

"Take it easy," Anakin advised. "It's only me. The base has been cleared out."

He relinquished his grip on the boy, who was panting heavily.

"You almost gave me a heart attack," he gasped. "Did you find the shuttle?"

The Jedi nodded. "Let's get out of here."

The two of them dashed down the garrison until they reached a ship that was clearly in the shape of an "L." Jack noticed two hovering boxes getting onto the shuttle, sparking his curiosity.

"Shield generators," Anakin answered before he could ask. "It's our only chance against the Separatist's weapon."

Jack took a seat behind Aayla and Ahsoka, who were both, respectively, pilot and co-pilot on this voyage.

"What kept you?" Ahsoka asked as they took off towards the Lurmen village.

"I took out a couple of droids," he answered in a casual manner.

Her eyes widened. "How?"

"I activated the door via telekinesis when the morons were directly in range."

"You're getting stronger, I see," Aayla noticed, hiding her surprise.

Jack yawned as the sun started to rise. He hadn't gotten any sleep in the past 18 hours, but neither did the Jedi or the clones. However, it looked like they were accustomed to long nights, so they weren't nearly as exhausted as he was.

Aayla landed the shuttle directly in the middle of the village. It was one way to get the attention of the Lurmen. When they all exited the shuttle, almost all of the Lurmen were pleased that they returned, save for Tee Watt Kaa.

"Everyone, please!" Aayla called out. "Please, listen! The Separatists will be here in moments!"

"What are you doing here!?" the elder exclaimed, clearly outraged. "I thought I told you not to return!"

Anakin decided to be blunt. "The Separatists don't care that you've chosen to remain neutral. We need to get you to safety before they arrive!"

Unfortunately, the stubborn lemur was defiant as ever. "We will _not_ abandon our homes!"

Jack was starting to lose patience with this idiot.

"But they've got a new weapon," Ahsoka protested. "It will burn this place to crisp and kill each and every one of you. Is this what all of you really want!?"

"If it is our destiny to be destroyed in _your_ war-!" He emphasized "your." "-so be it!"

Wrong choice of words.

Jack stalked up to the Lurmen before anyone could stop him and jerked him towards his people furiously.

"Look!" he demanded. "Look at these people! Do you think they want to die!? Look at the children! Do they want to die!? I don't give a damn about your traditions and right now, neither do they! If you love these people, as you claim, prove it! We're not the ones that will be responsible for their deaths; _YOU_ will be!"

When the elder didn't say anything, Jack returned to the shuttle, still angry. Aayla followed him inside.

"You shouldn't have attacked him like that!" she chided.

He sighed, knowing she was right. "I know. It's just that…I keep seeing those heartless machines killing everyone while Tee What-A-Doofus watches."

A smirk appeared on her face. "That's why we're going to defend them against his wishes. I saw that many of the Lurmen are frightened that the Separatists are coming to destroy them. One of our mandates is to protect the innocent, and so we shall despite Tee Watt Kaa."

"How can I help?" Jack questioned.

"Right now, we are gathering seedpods together to form a wall. We could use your help with that."

He smirked back. "Saving lives and ticking off an elder, huh? I guess I can fit that in my schedule."

Within moments, Rex and Bly were pulling pods together with a rope while Anakin, Ahsoka, and Aayla used telekinesis to bring the others together. Once Anakin  
started getting fatigued, Jack decided to take his place. After getting a "size matters not" speech, he attempted to move a pod with great difficulty. He assumed that he needed more training before he can lift a pod alone. The shield generators were placed on each end of the village as a secret defense for the weapon.

Elder Kaa was rapidly losing patience. "Please, stop what you're doing! Stop building that wall! I did not ask you to defend us!"

"What!?" Jack yelled. "I can't you over the sound of us saving your lives!"  
_  
I think I'm starting to like this guy._ Ahsoka thought with a grin.

"Don't get smart with me!" Elder Kaa demanded, clearly not amused.

"This battle is inevitable!" Anakin shot back. "You can stand by your beliefs, but let us stand by ours."

Realizing that he would not win this argument, the Lurmen went back to his hut not at all pleased. He fixed the Jedi a menacing glare before he vanished from sight.

Wag Too, however, had something to say. "Thank you for what you're trying to do! I'm sorry, but I cannot help. My father is very…strong-willed and set in tradition. Many others agree with me, but we were raised under a very strict code. We must respect it even if we don't agree."

"They're holding position!" Rex announced.

"They're not going to charge us!" Anakin replied. "Not if they can hit us from long range first, but if we can withstand that weapon, we'll draw them in."

"Wait! _If _we can withstand it!?" Jack exclaimed in horror.

"We'll be fine, Jack!" Aayla assured.

He chuckled nervously, but didn't say anything else.

At long last, the moment they were waiting for had arrived. A missile was launched into the air, heading towards the village.

"Incoming!" Rex yelled.

"Power the shields!" Anakin commanded.

A giant, blue dome appeared above the village and covered the whole place. Not a moment too soon, for the missile landed just outside the village, the fires from it spreading quickly. Jack and the Lurmen held their breath as it reached the village, but it couldn't make it through the shield. The fires dissipated within a few moments.

Anakin smiled at the shield's handiwork. "Now, they'll have to get their hands dirty and meet us face-to-face."

Rex handed Jack a blaster. "Stay behind us, aim, and fire! Got it?"

"Yes, sir!" he answered, ready for battle.

Jack and the clones climbed over the pod wall, witnessing a squad of battle droids and super battle droids coming at them.

"That's a lot of clankers," Ahsoka noticed, uneasy.

"We've got to stop them before they get through the shield," Anakin said.

The six individuals stepped out of the shield and readied their weapons.

Within a few seconds, chaos ensued.

The droids fired their blasters at the group, but the Jedi deflected them with their lightsabers before charging. Jack and the clones stayed in their position, trying to take down as many of the enemies as possible. Ahsoka leaped into the air and landed directly in the middle of the squad. Throwing them off, she quickly slashed aside quite a few droids. Since Anakin was still injured, all he could do was deflect the shots and destroy whatever droid that was in his way. Aayla, however, superseded all of them. She twirled her lightsaber, so it could cover her from all sides. Even when she took out the droids, her lightsaber was still moving. She kicked a battle droid down before rushing into the fray with the others. The numbers of droids dwindled down from 40, to 20, to 5, to 1. Anakin was about to cut the last one apart, but a blaster shot did the job for him. He looked to see Jack smirking at him. He returned the smirk with another glare.

"That was…intense," Jack admitted, panting heavily.

"Not bad, kid," Bly commended, "though, I don't think you should piss off General Skywalker like that."

"That wasn't so hard," Ahsoka said.

"That was only the first wave," Anakin replied with a sense of foreboding.

Quickly, the battle started up again with the droids, who were twice in number than before, shooting at them. Naturally, the three Jedi cut down the middle, but the droids they didn't get headed towards the village. As the chances of death rose and the number of droids grew, the clones retreated into the shield. Jack took cover in the tall grass outside.

After taking out a couple of droids, he saw Aayla and Ahsoka head back to the village while taking out the droids, but Anakin, to his horror, was charging straight towards the three tanks up ahead.

"That idiot!" he exclaimed, going after him and ignoring the protests of the others.

Whether the droids were inaccurate, or he was going faster than he thought, Jack managed to dodge the blaster shots that were being aimed at him.

"Is he crazy!?" Ahsoka yelled as she sliced a droid in half.

"We can't do anything about it," Aayla replied. "Let us hope that he returns unscathed."

The number of the droids overwhelmed them all as they retreated further into the village. Bly ordered the Lurmen to take cover as the droids made their approach. Quickly, the machines destroyed the shield generators, leaving the village defenseless against another assault like the one before.

With a new sense of urgency, the two Jedi began to quickly destroy the droids that were targeting the Lurmen, who were trying to hide at the moment. If the weapon wasn't destroyed anytime soon, everyone would die.

At a horrible time, Anakin collapsed in range of the tanks that were currently, being aimed at him. One of his wounds reopened in his stomach, giving him pain.

"So long, Jedi," the battle droid stated about to fire.

Miraculously, a blaster shot took the head off the droid.

The Separatist leader cowered away from more blaster shots that were being aimed at him, but he did get a good look at the boy who interfered with his plans.

"Destroy him now!" he commanded.

Jack, leaving no time to admire his handiwork, dragged Anakin into the grass away from the fight.

"I have to get up there," the Jedi groaned.

"You're too easy a target," Jack protested as he ducked from blaster shots. "I'll take care of the weapon."

"You can't destroy it with a blaster," he replied.

Jack nodded in agreement. "You're right."

Without even waiting for permission, he snatched Anakin's lightsaber and returned to the battle.

Jack slashed two super battle droids down and barely deflected a blaster shot from a battle droid. He cut down his assailant before charging at the tank. In his other hand, Jack fired the blaster at the Separatist so he could think twice before even thinking about firing the tank. Once he reached the weapon, Jack started slashing it ferociously, destroying it in the process. The shell fell out of the tank, but it didn't explode, luckily.

He noticed the Separatist coward making a run for it out of the corner of his eyes, and ran at him.

"Nice day for a jog, isn't it?" Jack asked when he caught up.

Fatso glowered at him, but continued running.

To add to the humiliation, the teenager started circling around him while talking like a coach.

"That's it. Keep your heartbeat up, and the fat stuff down."

Completely out of breath, the Separatist stopped in his tracks, practically collapsing.

"Look at the bright side," Jack said, putting his arm around the failed leader. "You've got 25 years to life to rest."

* * *

Despite some injuries inflicted from the droids, no one was killed in the battle. According to Ahsoka, Wag Too defied his father and gathered several Lurmen to fight the droids. With ropes, they managed to tie down the droids while Ahsoka beheaded them with her lightsaber.

However, the fact that Jack, with no prior training, destroyed the weapon and captured the Separatist was the main story being told.

"That was extremely reckless of you," Anakin lectured as he snatched his lightsaber back.

"Says the man who charged them with grievous injuries," Jack snorted.

Surprisingly, a grin appeared on Anakin's face. "Good job. You're all right, kid."

Rex and Bly handcuffed the Separatist and the engineer who fired the missiles before loading them into the shuttle. The clones contacted the Republic, giving them their location and a brief report on what occurred beforehand.

"Thank you, Wag Too," Anakin said.

"I should thank you," the Lurmen replied. "Our village would have certainly been destroyed without your protection." He saw his father approaching. "Father, I was just offering the Jedi our thanks."

Reluctantly, Tee Watt Kaa responded with, "Perhaps we do owe you thanks, but I still wonder: at what cost?"

"No one died today," Jack reminded him. "That, in itself, is a victory." _I'm starting to sound like Optimus._

Up above, the gigantic starships entered the atmosphere, ready to rescue their people. Jack smiled, knowing he was one step closer to getting home.

* * *

Inside the shuttle, Aayla was making her report to the Jedi Council.

"Commended, you all are," Yoda stated. "Protecting the innocents, your priority was."

"Thank you, Master Yoda," she replied, deciding to speak up about it. "I've encountered a Force-sensitive on this planet."

Mace Windu raised his eyebrows. "How powerful?"

"More powerful than he realizes," Aayla answered. "I do not think that he is as powerful as Skywalker, but I sense that the Force is extremely strong in him."

"Bring him before us, you must," Yoda ordered. "Decide whether he will be a Jedi, we will."

Aayla paused for a moment before making the play. "I believe that it was the will of the Force that we found him. He arrived on the planet under mysterious circumstances."

"Mysterious how?" Plo Koon wondered.

"According to him, a portal brought him here. He said that the machine that operated the portal was malfunction. Seconds before it exploded, he was transported here."

The Council members pondered this. The Force had been known to do mysterious things (Anakin, being the greatest example), but it brought this boy here under strange circumstances. This was worth looking into.

Aayla wasn't finished. "Should he not be able to find his way home and the Council deems it worthy-!"

"You want to train this boy," Windu finished, crossing his arms. "Let us see him first. Then, we will make a decision."

"Yes, Masters!" she replied.

Yoda, however, noticed something. "Becoming attached to the boy, you are. Carefully you must proceed, Master Secura."

"Yes, Master Yoda."

The transmission ended.

**Okay, who here guessed that Aayla would want to train Jack? At first, I figured Obi-Wan should, but I decided Aayla because it was different than the norm. I do not believe that she has nor had a Padawan, so Jack will be her first if he gets trained. Will he? Spoiler alert: read the title.**

**Longest chapter so far, but four reviews, eight followers, nine favorites, and 301 views keep me going. More reviews, criticisms (NO FLAMES), and votes would be much obliged.**

**Next chapter: Jack goes to Coruscant and receives great news and really bad news. **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Compensation

**I wanted to reply to some reviews that I was given.**

**Dark Raven 19: We'll see, but there won't be adult interactions in the way you are implying. He is still a teenager.**

**ToaXabineh: Thank you. Here's a chapter.**

**Ocnarf: Thanks.**

**Koryandrs: Because Jack is really cool, and it will be explained in this chapter**

**NOTE: This is an angsty chapter. Contains some elements of abuse. You have been warned.**

The flight to Coruscant was a relatively boring one, but given what happened recently, Jack could handle boring for a while. In fact, he needed to rest for tomorrow. The Jedi Council wanted to speak to him after he looked in the archives for his homeworld. He hoped that they would at least have the Milky Way Galaxy somewhere in the database. If so, it would narrow things down considerably.

His sleep was interrupted by the sound of a door knocking.

"Who is it?" he asked, trying not to sound rude.

"It's me," Ahsoka answered.

Jack decided to have a little bit of fun. "Me, who?"

"Ahsoka Tano," she replied, exasperated.

"Well, if you were Ahsoka Tano, you would know that nobody gets in without the password."

"What password!?" she exclaimed.

"See, if you knew the password, you would be Ahsoka Tano, but since you don't, you couldn't possibly be her."

"I've got Masters Skywalker and Secura out here!"

Jack paused for dramatic effect. "Do they know the password?"

"Just open up!" she yelled clearly out of patience.

Jack opened the door with a huge grin, but on the other side, Ahsoka's entire stance screamed, "I'm gonna kill you _very_ slowly."

"I don't see either of the Jedi Masters," Jack observed.

"Never mind," she replied quickly to get him to shut up. "I wanted to tell you that we'll be arriving in ten minutes."

"No rest for the weary, eh? Thanks."

She was about to return, but Jack stopped her.

"Wait!" he called out. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Ahsoka answered. "What is it?"

Jack hesitated for a brief moment before asking, "What's it like to be a Jedi?"

The Togruta crossed her arms, thinking for a second. "Well, it's pretty cool. We get to go on missions, help people, and do our best to keep the Republic safe."

"Like fighting a war?" Jack questioned.

"According to some of the Jedi Masters, we didn't exactly want to go to war, but we were drawn in."

"It must be hard, though," he said, leaning against the wall. "With the war and all. Don't you want to do something fun one in a while?"

She smiled sadly. "If only. We had to give up a lot to become Jedi. Most of us were raised by the Jedi at a very young age."

"And your parents were okay with this?"

She shrugged. "I can't really remember that far back. All I remember is my life as a Jedi. Anyway, it doesn't really matter. Like I said, Jedi aren't allowed to form attachments or fall in love. It's forbidden!"

"What!?" Jack exclaimed. "What idiot came up with that!?"

"Keep your voice down!" Ahsoka urged. "All I know it that attachment can lead to the Dark Side, which is why it's forbidden."

"What about love?" he protested. "Can't anyone fall in love or even marry?"

"The only exception was Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, but that was only because his people would've become extinct, or something like that."

"Maybe I should have a chat with the Council about this," he planned.

"Try and stay respectful, please," Ahsoka said. "The last thing you need is to get on their bad side. Trust me when I say you don't."

"Fine," Jack conceded. "Being a Jedi takes commitment. I respect that. I didn't expect it to make me give up being a human."  
_  
"Attention everyone!"_ Admiral Yularen announced over the intercom. "_We have arrived at Coruscant sooner than we expected. Will Commander Tano and Jackson Darby please report to the bridge?"_

"That's our cue," Jack stated, heading towards the bridge.

Ahsoka followed him. "Let me give you a few pointers when you approach the Council: be respectful, don't interrupt, try not to fidget, look at them when they are talking to you, don't let your emotions do the talking, and don't call Master Yoda a troll or a green midget."

Jack nodded, but he was confused by the last bit. "I'll keep all that in mind. Why are you doing this? Helping me, I mean."

"Because…I figured that you could use as much help as you can if you want to be a Jedi," she answered.

Jack raised his eyebrows at the hesitancy, but didn't press the matter. Instead, he left himself to his thoughts after making sure Ahsoka couldn't hear him.  
_  
Testing one, two, three. Can you hear me, Ahsoka? No? Good! Where was I? Oh, yes! She's hiding something. I know it. Everybody has been asking me if I want to be a Jedi when I have a chance to get home. Why is that? Do they think I _can't_ get home. And why _is_ she helping me? Could it be that she likes me? Nah, couldn't be. Like she droned, "Jedi can't love." I think she's kind of cute though. Snap out of it, Darby. Even if love was allowed (I can't believe I thought that), I doubt she would want to go out with someone like me. I'm not exactly a real "smooth operator" anyway._

When they reached the bridge, Anakin and Aayla were waiting for them.

"Are you ready, Jack?" Aayla asked.

"Wait, aren't we landing?" he questioned.

"The entire planet is a city," Anakin explained. "There's not exactly room for a cruiser like this one. You're taking the shuttle down."

"What about you two?"

"I have an assignment with Obi-Wan I have to get to," he answered. "Snips needs to report to the Jedi Temple, so she'll hitch a ride with you and Master Secura."

Jack nodded. "Okay." He turned to Aayla. "I'm ready."

"Come with me, you two," she said, heading towards the hanger.

Jack shook Anakin's hand. "It was nice meeting you, Anakin."

"You, too," he responded.

Before Jack turned around, he noticed something in Anakin's eyes: suspicion. He decided to let him be suspicious and watch him allay whatever fears he may have.

After the three of them left, Captain Rex approached Anakin.

"You sent for me, sir?" the clone asked.

"Pass the word around to the other clones," Anakin commanded quietly. "Keep an eye on Jack Darby."

Rex, who never refused an order is his life, questioned this one. "Sir?"

"He's hiding something," he explained. "Didn't you see him out there yesterday? He used the Force rather well…too well, I should add. He took out a droid from a few hundred yards when only someone trained could have done it. It's all way too convenient."

"He's an infiltrator," Rex finished.

"Maybe, maybe not," he replied, putting his thumb and index finger on his chin. "Whatever the case may be, we have to keep an eye on him. If he is a mole, we have to know."

* * *

"Jack, you're going to get glued to the window," Ahsoka warned.

The teenage didn't respond, completely dumbfounded at the sights outside.

Anakin wasn't kidding; Coruscant was New York on extreme steroids. Wherever he looked, skyscrapers filled his vision. He could only imagine how long it would take for someone to fall. Traffic outside were flying hovercrafts, or speeders as they call them. Jack wondered what an accident would be like.

Speaking of accidents, worry filled his mind. If 9/11 proved anything back on Earth, skyscrapers were an easy target if someone wanted to crash something huge into the buildings. The people inside and on the ground wouldn't stand a chance.

Then again, this was practically the future. He was positive that maybe they have something to prevent that from happening.

After dropping the Separatists off at the prison, they flew to the Jedi Temple, which made all the cathedrals look insignificant. It was so huge, it was practically a city within itself.

"Amazing!" he breathed.

Aayla chuckled. "That's what many say when they first visit Coruscant."

They landed outside the Temple before exiting the shuttle. Many Padawans, Younglings, and Knights greeted Aayla and Ahsoka, but they fixed Jack with strange looks. The Earth outfit the teenager was wearing was probably considered weird in their culture. Despite the stares, Jack tried to stay as confident as possible for the Jedi Council.

Before they did, though, Aayla escorted him to the Archives room, which was the mother of all libraries.  
_  
And I thought Barnes and Noble was big. _ He thought.

The room was about the size of a small mall consisting of computers, digital books, and other sorts of things that he couldn't recognize. Many Jedi were currently inhabited this place at the moment, but Aayla was searching for one particular Jedi.

"Who are you looking for?" Jack asked.

"Jocasta Nu," she answered. "She's the Archivist. She can help us with your planet problem."

"Master Secura!" an old voice called out. "It's been a while!"

The two of them turned around see a woman that was three years older than God approach them, a warm smile across her face.

"Madame Jocasta," Aayla greeted. "It's good to see you again."

"I haven't seen you here since you were a little girl," Jocasta said. The old woman turned her gaze to Jack. "Is he with you?"

Aayla nodded. "He is. In fact, he's the reason we are here. We are searching for a planet that I've never heard of, but it's his homeworld."

"Another planet search?" she asked, slightly amused. "Before, I would have said that if a planet does not show up in the Archives, it does not exist, but I could be wrong if it doesn't show up."

"It's a planet called Earth," Jack explained. "I know it's an unoriginal name. If the name doesn't work, I can describe it for you."

Jocasta typed in the name in the Archives. She received earth as a definition for the ground, but not as a planet. Jack proceeded to describe Earth as best he could, including that it had one moon, but nothing showed up.

"I'm sorry," Aayla said.

"I'm not giving up!" he replied, determined. "Try Mercury. It's a barren world that's too close to the sun."

Nothing.

"Venus, covered in clouds, and too close to the sun."

Nothing.

"Mars, red planet with ice caps!"

Nothing.

"Jupiter, gas giant, big red spot."

Nothing.

"Saturn, ringed gas giant."

Still nothing.

"Uranus!" He got awkward stares from the two. "Don't ask. I didn't name it. Green gas giant!"

Nothing.

"Jack," Aayla interrupted. "You must calm down."

He ignored her. "Neptune, blue gas giant."

Nothing.

"Pluto, small moon that was once considered to be a planet."

Nothing.

"Solar System!"

Nothing.

"Milky Way Galaxy, come on!"

Absolutely nothing.

Jack stared at the screen as if it had just committed a terrible betrayal. He was one inch away from losing it.

"Do you have a private room we could borrow?" Aayla asked.

Jocasta escorted the two to her office and closed the door so they could have some privacy. Jack sat down in a chair, but Aayla remained standing.

"Jack-!" Aayla started.

"It's not there," he interrupted, furious. "None of it. We're too far away. I'm stuck here." He tried to keep the tears from falling unsuccessfully. "My friends, my mom,  
they're never going to see me again and I won't see them again."

Aayla knelt down to Jack's level. "Jack, I believe you were sent here for a reason. I can sense the dear for your friends and the anguish it is causing, but I can also sense determination. You showed it on the battlefield when you risked your life to save Anakin and the Lurmen."

"Are you planning to turn me into a soldier!?" he lashed out angrily. "Are you just manipulating me to your own ends!?"

She shook her head. "No, Jack. I never give someone I promise I can't keep. I can't promise that you will return home, but I will keep looking. I can't promise that you will be a Jedi. Only you can make that decision. You know many of the risks we must take. What I can promise you is that if you become a Jedi, you will be able to help others in such a way you've never before. I will not force you."

Jack contemplated his options. If he decided not to be a Jedi, he would have freedom, but he wouldn't get the resources he needed to find what he was looking for. On the other hand, if he joined the Jedi, he would get the resources and be able to help others, but he would lose his freedom and be caught in a war.

"Fine," he replied, wiping away his tears. "I'll meet with the Council."

* * *

Jack nearly had a panic attack when he stood in the Council Chambers.

Surrounding him were various creatures of all kind staring at him. He recognized a few from the descriptions, such as Mace Windu, Yoda, Plo Koon, and Ki-Adi-Mundi, but there were others that he didn't. Many of them were present in holograms, but Yoda, Windu, and Koon were all present. A couple of chairs were empty, but many were filled by the people or the holograms.

Aayla gave a brief introduction, mentioning a few things he said and did on the Lemur Planet, as he called it, before being ushered out, leaving Jack alone with ten pairs of eyes staring at him. He felt exposed with them searching through his mind, his mental shields collapsing at private information. His adventures with the Autobots including the one that brought him here were carefully examined, but they didn't stop there.

His eyes widened once they accessed the memory of his past, a violent one at that. He wanted them to stop, but he couldn't speak, for familiar voices snuck into his mind.  
_  
"Stupid, little brat! Didn't I tell you to not touch my stuff!?"_

_"I'm sorry!"_

_SMACK! "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that's all you ever do is apologize!" SMACK! "Look at me when I talking to you, boy! I want change! You keep apologizing and you never change!" BAM! "You pathetic, worthless piece of shit! LOOK AT ME!"_

"STOP!"

* * *

Aayla was calmly meditating outside when she felt a disturbance in the Force. Great sorrow filled her mind as she felt for the location. Her eyes widened in horror when they came from Jack, but she couldn't understand why. She approached the chambers cautiously, but a scream followed by a powerful Force Repulse threw her back into the wall.

Getting to her feet, she rushed into the chambers and found it practically destroyed. The Council Members, the ones that were present, were slumped against the wall, but conscious. The chairs were thrown back and cracks filled the walls. The windows were shattered, giving the wind room to rush into the room. The holograms stood in horror at this scene, thanking the Force that they weren't there personally. Curled up into a fetal position on the ground was…

"Jack!" Aayla shouted, rushing to his aide.

She heard him say softly, "Please, stop. I promise to not do it again. Stop hitting me, please."

She gathered him in her arms trying to rouse him out of the state he was in. "Jack, it's over. You're safe!"

He turned his tear-ridden eyes towards her face and openly sobbed.

"What happened to him!?" she demanded.

"Probing his mind, we were," Yoda answered. "Trying to sense deceit, we were. Found something else, we did."

"HOW DARE YOU!?" Jack screamed, releasing another Force Push. "YOU HAD NO RIGHT TO DO THAT TO ME!"

"Get him to the Halls of Healing, now!" Windu shouted over his screaming.

Faster than she's ever run before, Aayla ran out of the chambers towards the healing chamber, where she hoped that Jack would find peace. At the moment, Jack was shouting and cursing out the Jedi Council and sobbing into Aayla's shoulder. His powers were going out of control as well. Windows were shattering, objects, valuable or not, were breaking, and people who went to see what the commotion was about were Force Pushed away.

"I will get you to safety!" she promised. "Hold on, young one."

**Short chapter, I know. I do not like the Jedi Council. Sure, Yoda is a beast, and Mace Windu is Samuel L. Jackson, but the Council as a whole are not on my favorite list. The reason why they probed Jack and why he's extremely powerful will be explained later. I know I promised he'd get good news, but well…I changed my mind. The relationship I'm trying to have between Aayla and Jack is sort of a mother-son relationship. I can't exactly explain why. It is what it is.**

**Thumbs up for the Red vs. Blue reference and the paraphrasing of Cortana's last words to Master Chief in Halo 2. Anyway, review, criticize, vote.**

**Next chapter: Aayla makes a startling discover about Jack as he attempts to recover.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Scars

In the all the years Barriss Offee has worked as a healer, she had never seen anyone quite like Jack Darby. The Force was strong in him, but he was unstable. Before he was put into stasis, the Force seemed to be going off like a bomb over and over again. Not to mention that he was damaging the Jedi Temple before he even reached the Halls of Healing. Surprisingly, the only one who wasn't physically affected by this was Aayla Secura. Barriss guessed that he formed an attachment with her, but this particular attachment gave Aayla the chance to get him to safety.

She scanned the boy's body for any type of virus or poison that could have inflicted an uncontrollable use of the Force, but found none. She did, however, find bruises and scars over various parts of his body, but they seemed irrelevant at this moment. When Barriss reached his mind, though, the results were startling to say the least. Jack's mind was mentally damaged! She tested this theory by probing his mind at a particular spot, but she stopped quickly when Jack started to break out of  
stasis while crying in pain. A quick sedative knocked him out just in time.

"What have you found out?" Aayla asked as she entered the room.

"More questions than answers, I'm afraid," she answered. "He is powerful in the Force, but he's unstable. He's suffered trauma in the past, severe, if I may add."

"He sounded like he was being tortured when I reached him," the Twi'lek stated. "He kept begging whoever was hurting him to stop."

"That explains the bruises and scars. I have a theory as to why the Force went…crazy in him. Whatever happened in his past was so bad that his mind was scarred from the events. Not a physical one, but a mental one. It seems that when the Jedi Council probed this particular spot, his emotions went wild, causing a chain reaction in the Force. It cause him to have a flashburn."

Aayla's eyebrows rose. "Flashburn?"

"It's like amnesia except on a more deeper level. As the word suggests, parts of his memory seems to have been burned away, most likely the ones related to the trauma. If someone tries to access those memories, he will experience great pain similar to that of Force Lightning."

Aayla made a mental note to inform the Council of this development. "He attacked anyone who came remotely close to us, but he did not attack me."

Barriss smiled. "If I may be so bold, Master, his attachment to you paid off in this circumstance. Why do you think that is?"

Aayla examined Jack carefully as she spoke. "I don't know. I've met many children in my day, but I've never met one quite like him. He's determined to do the right thing no matter the cost and struggles to prove himself worthy. He is by far one of the most powerful Force-Sensitives I have ever met."

Barriss widened her eyes in recognition. "This is the boy who saved that village, isn't he? That explains a lot."

"What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" the healer asked. "He had been using the Force before he even met you and he's been flashburned in the past."

* * *

Jack slowly opened his eyes and saw white. Had he died and gone to heaven? The familiar beeping of an electronic heartbeat told him otherwise. He held his forehead, experiencing the biggest migraine he ever had. He wondered why he was feeling this way.

Then, he eyes narrowed. _The Jedi Council._ They did this to him. They more than violated his privacy by probing his mind. Couldn't they at least have the decency to ask for permission first? Were these people really that paranoid of Force-Sensitives?

"You're awake!" an unfamiliar voice exclaimed happily.

His vision was filled by a yellow-skinned female.

"Who are you?" he asked, groaning in pain.

"My name is Barriss Offee, a healer," she answered. "Master Secura brought you here. Tell me, how do you feel?"

"Like someone pounded my head with a hammer."

She nodded in understanding. "I'm afraid it will take a few days to heal. What do you remember before you woke up here?"

Jack scanned his memories, ignoring the pain that came with it. "I remember sitting in front of the Council, waiting for them to speak. They…probed my mind to see if there was any deception from me. They came across a horrible memory and I exploded. I can't remember what it was, though. It must've been bad."

Barriss kept a mental note of this. "Interesting."

Jack tried to sit up, but the healer shoved him back down.

"No, you don't," she chided. "You have to rest. I'm not letting you do something stupid on my watch."

Jack considered complaining, but when had that ever worked for a doctor or nurse? Reluctantly, he made no further attempts to get up.

"Where's Master Secura?" he asked.

"Sparring with Master Fisto?" she responded. "She wanted to make sure you were all right."

Jack smirked. "She really does care."

Suddenly, he sensed a familiar presence approaching and frowned. His heart rate increased.

"What is it?" Barriss asked, concerned.

"I have a visitor," he sneered. "One of the many people that I don't want to see at the moment."

"Padawan Offee!" a voice called out in the entryway.

The nurse saw Mace Windu standing in the entrance, crossing his arms.

"Master Windu!" Barriss exclaimed, bowing. "Forgive me. I wasn't expecting-!"

"I won't be long," he interrupted, fixing Jack a cold look.

Jack returned the look and spoke with venom-tipped tones. "What do you want?"

Mace bit back the urge to lecture him about respect. "The Jedi Council wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday."

Jack knew the look in Windu's eyes. It was a look that said that it was his obligation to come and apologize, but I'm not going to stoop down to your level and say I'm sorry myself.

"Did I pass your test?" he snorted.

"We sensed that you plan to do us harm," the Jedi Master answered.  
_  
Insensitive jerk._ "Thank you. If you'll excuse me, I need to recover from your probing games."

Mace couldn't hold back the comment this time. "Mind you tone, boy."

As his heart rate continued to rise, Barriss realized that she needed to make an executive decision.

"I apologize, Master Windu, but my patient needs to rest."

Mace nodded. "I understand. Good day, Padawan Offee." He fixed Jack an icy glare that would petrify most men, but Jack wasn't most men. In fact, he returned the  
glare. He continued to stare at the Jedi Master until he left.

"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anybody?" Jack asked Barriss.

"Unless it endangers you or anyone else, you have my confidentiality."

"Good. I despise that creep!"

* * *

Four hours of ferocious sparing, not hydrating or eating, and staring out the window from time to time told Kit Fisto that something was wrong with Aayla Secura. He recently returned from a mission, but he could sense that something huge happened while he was away.

"Aayla," he said, panting heavily from the duel. "What troubles you?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?" she asked, deactivating her lightsaber.

"Because I know you too well," Kit answered. "You wouldn't push yourself nearly this hard unless you were trying to vent something out. Did something happen prior to our duel?"

Aayla proceeded to explain to the Nautolan briefly about the crash landing on a different planet, meeting Jack, the Separatist fight, and the recent events in the Council chambers. He could tell she was angry, and rightfully so. Had he been there, he would've told this boy what they were doing. The Clone Wars were taking a negative toll on the Council.

"This is troubling," Kit finally said after her story. "I agree that they should've probed his mind, but I wouldn't have done it without his consent. I will speak to the Council about this matter personally. There's something else, isn't there?"

Aayla sighed. "Before we taught him how, he was projecting his thoughts like a holovid. He didn't live a very happy lifestyle and his father left him when he was only eight. Despite all this, he wants to prove himself worthy to his friends and his mother. He has a strong determination to help other people as well."

Kit Fisto brought back his trademark grin. "Just like a Jedi. You see yourself in that boy, don't you?" When she nodded, he continued. "Perhaps the Force has provided you a Padawan, Aayla, one that will make you proud."

"After what happened in the Council chambers, I don't know if he will be willing to approach them again without making a scene."

"Fear not, Aayla. I think I can ease the tension."

* * *

(Two days later)

Once Jack was formally released from the Halls of Healing, his little stunt in Council chambers was made known to practically every single Jedi in the Temple. The was the top story in everyone's minds next to the fact that he saved Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, on that planet they crashed on. Once he stepped outside, there was practically a crowd waiting for him. Many Padawans, Younglings, and Knights stared at him with a mixture of awe, fear, and fascination. He got a couple of smiles from a few Masters, but some others gave him a glare. _Well, I can't please everybody._ For the sake of not standing out, he was given standard Jedi robes to wear, but it was rendered moot when his fame became known.

He wished he could chat with Ahsoka when he spotted her in the hallway, but his duty was to report to the Council again, but this time, things would be different.

"I really don't want to see them again," Jack had admitted beforehand.

"I understand, young one," Aayla had replied, "but we are taking better precautions this time around. A friend of mine is on the Council. He will vouch for you."

Jack nodded. "I appreciate it, Master Secura. Let's hope this meeting is better than the first."

"Remember; do not let your emotions get in the way. Let them go, especially your anger."

He nodded. "Yes, Master."

Keeping these things in mind, Jack knocked on the door.

"Enter, you may," Yoda said on the other side.

Slowly, Jack entered the chambers and got a first-hand look at his recent handiwork.

The chambers needed serious renovations, such as replacing the windows, repairing the walls, getting rid of the crater in the floor, and fixing the chairs. He hid his grin when he realized that Mace Windu's chair was completely destroyed. Mace had to sit in another chair that was clearly not meant for him. _Maybe I did know what I was doing. _They did not hear his thoughts this time.

"Welcome back, Jackson Darby," a green Jedi Master, Kit Fisto, greeted warmly.

Remembering the customs, he bowed in their presence. "I am grateful that you have allowed me to return even though I…made a mess."

Mace snorted, but Yoda chuckled slightly.

The only Jedi present this time were Mace, Yoda, Ki-Adi, Plo, and Kit. All the rest were currently in the middle of a battle. All of them were weary of Jack, but Mace didn't bother hiding the glower he had on Jack.

"Our deepest apologies you have," Yoda said gravely. "Careful we must be as the war continues. To interrogate someone in the manner we did, make us better than the Separatists, it doesn't."

Jack nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we're on the same page." He was starting to like the green…thing.

"Have you ever been trained prior to this?" Mundi asked.

The teenager shook his head. "Not that I can remember. Why?"

"Because according to the reports," Windu responded, "you are an extremely powerful, untrained Force-User. Besides Skywalker, we've never come across an individual as yourself. Care to explain why you are this powerful if you claim to have never been trained before?"

Jack wasn't going to stand for this insufferable Jedi. "With all due respect, _Master,_ where I come from, if people have a problem with me, they tell me what it is. So, _care to explain_ why you are treating me with disrespect?"

Mace was about to fire a retort, but when the Council glanced at him, he decided on a different approach. "It is possible for followers of the Dark Side to infiltrate the Jedi Order." He narrowed his eyes. "I need to be sure that you are not one of them."  
_  
Oh, so you want a reaction, eh, Windu?_

Jack looked Mace in the eye and said, slowly, "I am not a bad guy. I'm a teenager who has been stranded in this galaxy with no way to get home. Everyone home thinks I'm dead, so you don't have to worry about attachments or distractions such as love. In fact, you don't have to worry about me turning to the Dark Side because I have seen evil up close and personal. I am willing to lay down my life to save the innocent and those around me no matter what. I was told that anger leads to the Dark Side, so do me a favor, and stop provoking me!"

The Council was stunned. No one had dared to stand up to Mace Windu like that. Jack wasn't laying the law down or trying to become his enemy; he wanted Windu to understand him. If it took repeating the attitude that the Master showed everyone else, he would do it.

"I think you need to give us a few minutes, young one," Plo suggested, "We need to make a decision."

Jack bowed again. "Thank you for a more pleasant time, Masters."

He exited the door without saying another word.

Naturally, Mace started the debate. "He has an attitude, but I will admit that I _was_ provoking him."

"Be always suspicious, you should not be," Yoda lectured. "Suspicions divide and can lead to paranoia."

"When he mentioned that he's seen evil face-to-face, he purposefully projected a single thought," Plo observed. "It was a planet that was ravaged by war and consumed by the dead."

"So, he's still hiding something," Mundi stated. "Secrets kept from the Council should not be tolerated."

"We invaded his privacy before," Fisto pointed out. "I believe that we shouldn't make things worse for now. We should wait until we gain his trust."

Mace looked at him incredulously. "_We_ gain _his_ trust?"

"Anger and resentment towards us, he has," Yoda answered. "Not sure whether to trust us, he is, and rightfully so."

"If he doesn't trust the Jedi Council, who will he trust?" Mundi questioned.

"Aayla Secura," Kit answered with a smile. "After all, she was the one who helped him."

"But she's attached to the boy," Mace countered.

"Then, we must choose the lesser of two evils," Plo stated. "On one hand, if we refuse to train him, rest assured, the Sith will find and either corrupt him or kill him. On the other hand, if we let him be trained by Master Secura, she may continue to be attached just like she was with her old Master, but he will have a less of a  
chance to fall."

"Time to vote, it is," Yoda announced.

* * *

For what seemed like an eternity, Jack waited outside the Council chambers while Aayla continued to meditate. He was kind of amused, but he realized that if he was trained, he would end up meditating.

"I kind of screwed up in there," Jack interrupted, scratching the back of his head.

"That does not mean that you will not be trained," Aayla countered. "They may still vote in your favor."

"Master Secura and Jackson Darby!" Windu called out. "Enter!"

The two of them reentered the chambers, standing directly in the middle.

"Voted, the Council has," Yoda said with a smile. "Trained, Jackson Darby will be. Take him as your apprentice, you may, Master Secura!"

**Jack's gonna be trained. Oh, boy! Now that I think about it, I should've have combined Chapters 4 and 5. Oh, well. At least that part is over. I wasn't fond of this chapter because I wanted to play it carefully. I hope I didn't make Mace OOC. Given other fanfictions I've read, he always struck me as suspicious, border lining paranoid.**

**The question of whether Jack has been trained or not is still up in the air, and I'm planning on telling you…eventually. Let's just say that Jack is going to make friends and make **_**many**_** people suspicious of him. Jack's past will be explained, but not now. The Autobots will find him, but not in the way you might expect.**

**Next chapter: First day of training. Fun, fun, fun.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: First Day

**Truth Behind The Eyes: Hmm, I'll keep that in mind.**

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Ahsoka shrieked.

Jack shushed her. "Way too loud, Ahsoka!"

"You actually said that to the Head of the Jedi Council!?" she exclaimed, bewildered.

"He wanted a reaction, so I gave it to him," he responded with a smirk. "That guy needs to chill out from time to time instead of nitpicking people apart."

"You were very lucky not to get reprimanded by the Jedi Council," Ahsoka said, crossing her arms.

"Actually, I did," Jack replied. "They warned me, well, Windu did, to treat the Council respect and under no circumstances do they expect nothing less from a Jedi."

Ahsoka was shaking her head in disbelief. "I still can't believe that they would let you be trained at sixteen, for crying at loud."

Seeing as how she was reacting, Jack's age must have been significant in some way. "Whatever the case may be, I'm due down at the training room with Master Secura." He grinned. "I get to use a lightsaber."

She smirked. "Oh, this I've gotta see."

Whether it was his natural perception of people or he was becoming stronger in the Force, Jack could tell Ahsoka wasn't telling him something. He cocked an eyebrow suspiciously at her before heading down to the training room.

Aayla was in deep meditation again. She smirked when she sensed her new Padawan enter the training room. She also sensed Ahsoka coming in to watch Jack get his butt handed to him on day one.

"Welcome, Jack," she greeted without even turning around.  
_  
Man!_ Jack thought, surprised. _The more I learn, the less I really know._

"Even today, the Force has been a great mystery to the Jedi," Aayla responded, turning around. "When we first met, you practiced using the Force, and you are stronger than many Jedi I've encountered, but you can't win with that alone. It drains your energy. The more power you use…"

"…the more exhausted I get," Jack finished.

Aayla nodded. "This is where the lightsaber comes in. Once you have been trained, like every Jedi-in-training, you will build your own lightsaber." She tossed him a practice lightsaber. "For now, we use these."

Jack ignited the weapon, a yellow blade appearing. "This is cool, but shouldn't practice with a weapon that won't slice an arm off in the blink of an eye?"

"It's a practice lightsaber," she explained. "The worst it can do is sting you."

"In that case," He gestured the lightsaber to her, "I'm ready."

A smirk appeared as she ignited hers. "Let us see what you can do."

Jack kept a confident smile on the outside, but he was freaking out on the inside. He's seen her go to town with that lightsaber. There was no way she could be beaten.

"Duels are not always about winning or losing, Jack," Aayla lectured, lowering her lightsaber. "Duels can be used to gather information about your opponent. This will let me know what to teach you, Padawan."

Gulping, Jack took a tentative step towards her as she raised her lightsaber. He struck first with a horizontal slice, but it was easily blocked. The crackle from the blades clashing sound like lightning, throwing Jack off a bit.

"Try not to think about what you want to do," she said. "Do it. By the time you think about what you want to do, it will be too late."

Deciding to change tactics, Jack started slashing in many directions, all of which were blocked by the Jedi Master. He pushed the lightsaber aside and aimed a kick at her only for his leg to get caught in her unarmed hand. She struck her lightsaber down, but Jack barely blocked it time, the blades inches away from his leg.

"Excellent!" Aayla complemented, tossing Jack to the ground. "You're a quick learner. Now, let's see how you do at defending yourself."

After her Padawan got to his feet, she lunged at him. While not nearly as complex as her attacks were on that planet, her attacks easily drove Jack against the wall, barely defending himself from the brutal attacks. Once he was pinned, one swipe knocked the lightsaber out of his hand. The blue blade stood inches from his neck with the wielder grinning like a clown.

"Again?" Aayla asked.

To her surprise, Jack had an evil smirk on his face, raising his hand. "I'm not finished yet."  
She braced herself for the Force Push that was expected, but something different happened instead. Her armed hand jerked back abruptly to her face, the hilt banging her square in the forehead. She cried in pain as she experienced a terrible headache and extreme dizziness, staggering back.

Concerned, Jack ran to her aide. "Master, I-I'm so sorry. Honestly, I didn't mean to hurt you that bad."

Wincing in pain, she replied with, "I'm fine, Padawan. You…just caught off guard. I'm impressed. That can save you in a battle."

Ahsoka couldn't believe this. Master Aayla Secura, one of the most expert lightsaber fighters she has ever seen, was beaten by a cheap shot. This kid was getting more and more interesting. Unconventional tactics have been known to save people, but this kid was starting to become unconventional.

Recovering not so quickly, Aayla readied herself. "Again."

For the next few hours, the two of them faced off in quick duels that left little to know rest time in between. More often than not, Aayla would hit Jack with the blade, and he would get drawn to tears by how painful the sting was, but he would not give up. Unlike most Padawans, who would collapse for a bit before continuing, the boy was not one to give up. He seemed accustomed to the pain after three stings. What Jack lacked in swordplay he made up for it with his quick tactics. At one point, Jack was once again disarmed, but he ran up a column, called his lightsaber to him, and back-flipped over Aayla while blocking a strike. _Clearly,_ he's been trained in some form of fighting.

Panting heavily, the two of them extinguished their sabers.

Both, well, mostly Jack, sustained injuries, but the bruise on Aayla's forehead would stand out for a while.

"So, what have you learned, Jack?" she asked.

"That I have a long way to go," he answered, taking a spot on the floor.  
_  
He's humble to the point where he doesn't sell himself. Interesting._ "I will admit that you surprised me a few times. Tell me, have you been trained in unarmed combat?"

Jack nodded, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "It was better to be prepared so I don't end up a victim." _Again._

She caught that word, but decided not to press the issue. "We'll continue later. For right now, Ahsoka will be willing to guide you around the Temple and to the meal hall."

Ahsoka nodded. "Yes, Master Secura."

Jack tried to hand the lightsaber back to Aayla, but she refused it.

"Keep it with you. You can train in your quarters with the remotes."

"Thank you, Master," he replied before leaving.

* * *

(Earth; One week after Jack's "death")

Not many people showed up for Jack's funeral. The ones who _did_ show up were June's coworkers who would be there to comfort her. Sierra showed up tearfully, wishing that she could've gotten to know Jack a little more instead of showing up. Vince was there, too, out of guilt. Miko and Raf also showed up in their respective vehicles to officially pay their respects; unofficially, they were there to cry their hearts out for their friend. Fowler made his appearance in Optimus's vehicle form.

Ever since Jack's death, June, after having breakdown after breakdown, blamed Optimus for endangering her son's life. No matter what the Autobot leader had to say, it would never be good enough for her. She would never forgive him.

Arcee blamed herself for the incident, wishing that she could have done more to save her partner…no, her friend. Nothing June could say would change that. Partially, she also blamed Optimus for it. He could have given the Key to Agent Fowler. Instead, he decided to shoulder the responsibility to a _teenager_ for Primus's sake. Part of Arcee hoped that maybe Jack was still alive out there, but it was a fool's hope. The Space Bridge exploded seconds after Jack entered. There was no way he could have survived.

Agent Fowler managed to come up with a story for the death: Hit-and-Run-Claims-Life. He couldn't exactly explain that Jack died in an explosion. Way too many inconsistencies with the mundane lives of Americans that lived in Jasper, Nevada. Naturally, he had a closed casket so people wouldn't realize that they never found the body, but it still had the same effect on everyone present.

June had concocted a slideshow presentation of Jack's life with the song, "If I Die Young," playing in the background. No matter how many times she saw it, it never ceased to make her cry. Even the Autobots were greatly moved when they saw this happening. After the slideshow, June stood in front of the crowd and gave her eulogy.

"Sixteen years, ten months, and fourteen days ago, Jackson Darby came into my life. No matter what classes they taught me or what my friends have said, nothing could really prepare me for the bundle of joy that entered my world. He was a well-behaved child, didn't scream as much as other babies, and I loved him to death.

"As he grew older, after my husband left, Jack took on responsibilities to help support the both of us. The moment he learned how to ride a bike, he did his darnedest not to let me drive him around so that I wouldn't waste money on gasoline. He rode to his job, to school, even to the grocery store if I was unable to. He gave up his childhood to help me."

Miko and Raf were astounded by this revelation. Jack never opened up to anyone, (well, maybe Arcee) and to think that he willingly did that for his mom was humbling. Sierra and Vince, on the other hand, were extremely ashamed. Sierra, for choosing to be disinterested with the teenager that never had a social life, and Vince, who always beat up Jack whenever he stood in his way.

June continued, tears streaming down her face. "My son was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and being his mother was the greatest honor I could ever have been given." Her voice was beginning to break. "I love you, Jackson, and I-!"

She couldn't continue, for she knelt down on the ground and broke down. Like a chain reaction, many people started shedding tears at the sight. Calmly, Agent Fowler led June away so she could calm down for a bit.

One by one, everyone placed a flower on Jack's grave before departing. Some were trying to comfort June, but failing miserably. No one could actually relate to her of this tragedy in this case, save for one person: Arcee.

Miko approached the tombstone tentatively and spoke her words softly so only Raf could hear. "I'm sorry that I always gave you such a hard time, Jack. Whenever I ran to the action, you would always follow in case I got hurt. I never told you how thankful I am that you tried to keep us safe from harm, and I will miss you very much."

Raf was next. "You always stood up for me whenever I got picked on. Thank you."

Following Raf was Sierra. "I should have given you more attention from the start instead of just pushing you away. I will always regret that and I will miss you, Jack."

Finally, Vince had enough courage to say what he needed to say. "I screwed up, Darby. I wish I wasn't such a jackass to you. I don't blame you for hating me and I wish that you could hear how sorry I am for screwing up your life."

The number of people dwindled until June was left alone in the cemetery. Seeing that no one was around to spot her, Arcee transformed and walked to the gravestone, sadness covering her face.

"I'm sorry, June, for failing you both," she said.

"No," she corrected. "You did everything you could. I owe you my life, Arcee, and I can't thank you enough for being in our lives."

Arcee smiled sadly before kneeling down. "Jack, I'm…glad that you were in my life. You weren't just a partner to me; you were a friend. Wherever you are right now, I hope that you find peace."

"You're always welcome in my home, Arcee," June assured.

Arcee considered refusing, but June had just lost her only son. She didn't want to former mother to be alone especially at this point in her life. Besides, she needed to watch her in case she attempted to…do something stupid.

Arcee placed her servo on her shoulder. "Thank you, June. I think I will take you up on that offer."

She smiled for the first time in a week. "Have you ever thought that my son could still be alive?"

Arcee sighed. "Many times, June. There's a part of me that believes that he could be out there somewhere, but it's wishful thinking."

June nodded as they both took a moment of silence. The former mother knew that Jack was gone, so why was there a part of her that believed he was still alive?

* * *

(Coruscant; Archives)

Jocasta Nu gave Jack access to some of the Archives, but not everything. He would have to reach the level of Jedi Knight if he wanted to access the more sensitive information. He didn't care about studying about the Sith or the Jedi; he wanted to find some answers regarding more…sensitive information.

Jack's reasons for not telling anyone about the Autobots were that if the information fell into the wrong hands, an alliance with the Decepticons would spell doom for the Autobots and the war. Not to mention that he wanted to find out for himself if they knew about the Autobots and Decepticons already and if the Archives' information regarding Earth was deleted.

Jack didn't consider this to be a betrayal trust. After all, he still needed to be cautious around everyone, even his own master. If his instincts were right, the Jedi would monitor the computers for information that is gathered, so he decided not to use the words "Cybertron," "Autobots," "Decepticons," or anything related to those things. Thank God for loopholes.

Choosing his words very carefully, Jack typed in "Giant Robots Mythology." There was one result: a datapad marked "The Giant Robots: Fact or Fiction?" He checked out the datapad as well as datapads containing lightsaber forms, Force powers (the ones that _weren't_ restricted), and the history of the Jedi. When Jocasta asked about the mythology book, he claimed that he was writing a story about giant robots and that he needed the datapad for references. She bought the lie, fortunately, and he went back to his quarters.

Deciding to get his homework that Aayla had given him over with, he studied the first lightsaber form, Shii-Cho, the most basic of all lightsaber forms. In fact, only a complete idiot would be able to screw up this form. He took notes on its attacks: vertical slash, horizontal sideswipes, impales and jabs, and horizontal slash. He noticed that surprisingly, Shii-Cho could combat multiple enemies, but against single opponents, you would be signing your own death sentence.

The Force Powers were an extremely high range of abilities. From telekinesis to mind control, the possibilities were endless. Jack noticed lightning under one of the contents, but the only thing it said was, "Forbidden power that is commonly used by the Sith and other Dark-Siders. Do not attempt!" That confused Jack as to why the Jedi forbade that particular ability. Telekinesis is practiced and can be used for tossing someone into the air. Some Force Powers could be used to break bones or choke the lives out of people, so why is lightning forbidden. He put that in a list of questions he would have for Aayla.

After a sufficient amount of studying and glossing over the history, he finally came to the datapad he wanted to read. What surprised Jack the most was how many myths relating to giant robots there were. Considering that the Autobots were real and extraterrestrials were as well, he figured that maybe some of these things were true. Deciding to save time, he looked at the Table of Contents and the Index for anything that would stand, but unfortunately, nothing clicked in Jack's memory.

He was about to put the datapad away until he came across one word: Unicron.

He found the page number and scrolled to it. It was a title that read "The Tale of Primus the Peace Bringer and Unicron the Destroyer."

"Before the beginning...there was Primus. And there was Unicron. One, the incarnation of creation—the other...of destruction. For eons, Primus and Unicron battled, the balance of power shifting between them more times than could be counted. Only by creating the Thirteen Primes, the offspring of Primus, was Primus finally able to defeat Unicron and cast him out. Primus became one with the very core of a planet known as Cybertron, creating life through the Well of All Sparks, while Unicron was never to be heard from again. It is said that through the Well of All Sparks, Primus created a breed of sentient robots."  
_  
Transformers._ Jack realized.

He observed that this particular topic was labeled under fiction. Hah! What struck him as interesting was that various Jedi and Sith went searching for the infamous planet of Cybertron thousands of years ago, but no such evidence was found. The stories were scattered through the galaxy, yet none were able to prove it.

Jack wondered if the Autobots would be willing to help the Jedi in this war, but he quickly squashed that idea. After all there were kind of busy in their own personal war.

All of sudden, Jack felt as if he was going to cry, which didn't make sense. He already let loose his emotions a long time ago. Then, he realized that the feelings were not his own; they were his mother's. She was in pain. Terrible pain. She was suffering because of his loss. The thought of it made him feel sick inside, and he wished he could convey to her that he was still alive.  
_  
Please, Mom. Don't give up hope. I'm still alive. I will come back to you. I promise._

He fell asleep before he even hit his bed, a long day over.

**This chapter is dedicated to the tragic loss of the children in Newtown. My heart goes out to all the families who lost their children a year ago.**

**So, to those who wanted to see what was going on Earth, now you know. I figured that if anyone would be blamed for Jack's death, it would be Optimus. He did, after all, give Jack the Key to Vector Sigma. **

**True story: when my mom was in Texas a few years ago, she was visiting her aunt for the last time. While she was grieving, I could actually feel her sadness so much, that I called her to see if she was all right. The connection between families is incredible.**

**You guys need to thank Jensaarai1 on YouTube for the Shii-Cho description. If it wasn't for him, I would have been hard-pressed to find a really good description of lightsaber forms.**

**The quote with Primus and Unicron came directly from the Prime cartoon with some added parts. **

**The thing I wanted to make clear in this story was Jack's unique ability to be unorthodox. I have watched every single Star Wars film and the Clone Wars and read many of the books. When I saw some fan-made lightsaber duels alone, I geeked out. The Jedi never considered some of the moves I did during the practice duel between Jack and Aayla. If Aayla wasn't holding back, she would wipe the floor with him. That's kind of what Ahsoka was hoping to see, but she got something different.**

**Review, vote, criticize, you know the drill. I'm going to do a couple more chapters before Jack gets to go on his first mission. **

**Next chapter: Jack improves his lightsaber combat and gets himself into trouble. Gee, who would have saw that one coming? **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: A Lightsaber-Wielding Vigilante (AKA: Ticking off the Jedi Council...Again)

(One month later)

Once again, Jack was the talk of the Jedi Temple. Fortunately, it wasn't for any catastrophic occurrences this time. He was advancing quicker than any Padawan. In fact, it was believed that he was advancing quicker than Anakin did at his age. He favored telekinesis whenever he fought his master, which wasn't really surprising, considering that _every_ Jedi used it. What _was_ surprising was how he used it. Normally, Jedi would throw objects with the Force at their opponent, but Jack had a different way of doing it. He manipulated whatever object he had to not only fight for him, but with him. It was like fighting two opponents at once. At first, the effort tired him, but with constant practice, it became practically effortless.

His lightsaber skills grew as he studied each and every skill, but his training still needed work, hence the reason as to why he had objects act as opponents. He took in interest the lightsaber forms of Soresu, Ataru, and Shien.

With Soresu, he could use to defend himself practically indefinitely with time and training. According to Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the practitioner of Soresu, once he got a handle on it, it would seriously take little effort to do the seemingly complex moves of defense. However, in order to master the form, meditation was required. Whenever he meditated, nine times out of ten he would experience bad memories of his past that would threaten to surface and things would start exploding around him. Clearing his mind was almost impossible since his mind was damaged by the flashburn. Until he could repair his mind, Jack would not be able to meditate properly. Still, he could use Soresu for a good ten minutes before tiring.

Ataru was he favorite. He could exhibit his unorthodox tactics rather well. The practitioners of Ataru, like Aayla Secura, explained that this form was to defeat your opponent as quickly as possible while doing some really awesome stunts. With _a lot_ of help from the Force, Jack managed to perform these stunts rather effortlessly. Yet, somehow, it all seemed so…familiar to him. What weaknesses he did find were that Ataru takes a lot of energy as well. If the opponent hasn't been beaten, well, he'd better get some decent flowers at his real funeral. Also, close quarters and Ataru don't mix with all the acrobatics and stuff.

That's where Shien comes in. With all the brute force, it could defend and counterattack extremely well. It also could break solid defenses that most forms couldn't break. Jack was a solid C Minus in that form for now, which would give a slight edge to his duels, but the edge wouldn't exactly last long. Anakin Skywalker, the main practitioner of Shien, explained that it took a long time to master it, what with all the strength it took to use this form.

Jack had it figured out: Ataru would be his prime form, Shien would be used in close quarters, and Soresu would give him the chance to escape.

The Council, however, still did not trust him and it was starting to tick him off. It seemed that whenever he would pass by or meet with certain Council members that would watch him as if he was a predator ready to attack. Granted, he did ruin their chambers, but he figured they would at least get over it. Maybe it was the fact that he was having trouble learning control of his powers. Either way, the Council remained wary of him, save for Yoda, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto. At least they gave him the benefit of the doubt.

At the cafeteria **(AN: I assume they have one. If they don't, oh well)**, he took a seat next to Ahsoka. She had recently recovered from a virus that almost killed her and a senator from Naboo named Padmé Amidala.

"Amidala sounds like the name of an Italian dish," Jack joked as he munched on whatever the heck they had there.

She chuckled as she divulged herself in her meat dish. "How's training with Master Secura."

"It's getting there," he admitted. "My lightsaber skills need work, but my forte is telekinesis. After we eat, are you interested in sparring? I could use the practice."

Ahsoka nodded. "Sure."

There was an awkward pause between the two as Jack tried to think about what to say. "So,…now what?"

She chuckled, causing his face to redden. "You're not good with casual conversation, are you?"

He bowed his head, slightly ashamed. Just how many times did Sierra stand him up because he couldn't think of a damn thing to say?

Ahsoka noticed his changing emotions and immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to make fun of you."

"No, it's fine. I'm just not a social butterfly." Seeing her confused look, he amended the statement. "I'm not a social person. I wish I was. I heard that you were almost killed. I'm sorry."

She shrugged. "Curse of the Jedi. We all put our lives on the line more times than we can count."

"I have yet to go on a mission out there," Jack stated. "For the past month, I've been training my life away and having to deal with Chancellor Palpatine's speeches on the holonet." He started impersonating the Chancellor. _"The Republic will live on. I love democracy. I like to make boring, long speeches because I have nothing better to do."_

Ahsoka knew that she shouldn't laugh, but she did so anyway. The Younglings and Padawans who were overhearing the conversation were laughing as well.

However, "You shouldn't mock the Chancellor, Padawan," a familiar voice rebuked.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Master Skywalker, to what do I owe the pleasure? Shall we have a rousing discussion of how I'm planning to take over the galaxy under your nose?"

Normally, this behavior was unacceptable, but it was understandable. Jack knew that Anakin had been keeping tabs on him via the clones and sometimes Ahsoka. When she gained Jack's trust, she admitted about what Anakin was up to, much to his displeasure. Despite the fact that Jack saved his life, he was still under suspicion. Sooner or later, Anakin and the Council would have to face the fact that they were all on the same side.

Anakin crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. "Watch it, Padawan."

Jack was trying to keep his anger down. "I've been watching it, Anakin. I've been watching it ever since I came to this galaxy. Why can't you guys actually lay off for a while? Do you know how insulting it is to have to watch my step all the time, knowing that if I slip up, the wrath of the Council shall be invoked?"

What Anakin was expecting, that wasn't it. Deep down, he knew that Jack had every right to be upset about all the pressure. The decision to have clones and his Padawan spy on him wasn't one of his best ones. At the time, it seemed important, but now, it was hindering the kid and upsetting him. Also, he understood where he was coming from. As a Padawan, Anakin used to feel the same way with the Council, and sometimes, he still did.

Sighing, Anakin conceded since that was the reason he came. "I'm sorry, Jack. I felt it prudent at the time, but you're right. I know how you feel."

Jack was also surprised by this strange turn of events. "Pray tell."

Anakin, briefly, explained about how he came to be a Jedi and how Obi-Wan's former master, Qui-Gon Jinn, believed Anakin to be the Chosen One. When Qui-Gon was killed, Obi-Wan promised to train Anakin, but the Council wasn't exactly welcoming him with open arms. Even now, they remain wary of him. _"Clouded, his future is,"_ Yoda had said, which of course meant they would keep sharp eyes on him.

"So, you receive a predetermined destiny, and they walk on thin ice whenever they chat with you?" Jack summed up, frowning. "Sorry to hear that."

"If you want, I can make it up to you," Anakin assured. "Obi-Wan and I were about to head over to Dex's Diner. Want to join us?"

Jack grinned. "Sounds like fun. Do you mind, Ahsoka?"

"Sure," she answered. "We'll spar later."

"It's a date."

Jack sarcastically wondered if Anakin had a problem with his eyesight because he seemed to be narrowing his eyes a lot around him. In fact, many of the stick-in-the-sand Council members did the same thing.

"Not _that_ kind of date," Jack corrected.

Anakin nodded and led the Padawan out.

Jack never dreamed of touring Coruscant alone. The city-planet was far too massive for one thing, and the other was that he never got the hang of flying a speeder. The first time he flew, he crashed into the stairs that led to the Jedi Temple where it just so happened that Mace Windu was present at the time of the accident. No charges were pressed, but Jack paid his debt in full…by cleaning the cafeteria for four days after breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

When it came to Anakin's driving, Jack nearly lost his lunch ten times during the trip to the diner. The guy was a maniac! _Barely_ following the traffic rules and _barely_ surviving the trip, they made it to Dex's Diner where Obi-Wan awaited.

"Good to see you, Jackson," he greeted. "I take it Anakin has been teaching you the rules of driving a speeder."

"Whatever he does, do the opposite," Jack responded, promising inwardly to never, ever, ever, EVER let Anakin drive again.

The interior of the diner reminded Jack of a bar. Of course, he'd never been in one, but he's seen plenty on the television. Usually, that was where the drunkards would make a scene and be carried out, arrested, or start an epic bar fight. Fortunately, no alcoholics were planning anything at the time.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite Jedi!" a loud booming voice exclaimed. Obi-Wan and Anakin!"

The voice came from a four-armed creature that had a face bigger than many heads and had a smile to match.

"Hello, Dex!" Obi-Wan greeted with a smile.

"Dex," Anakin added with a smirk.

"What can I get for ya?" he asked.

"Oh, the usual," Anakin answered. "Obi-Wan's buying."

"Lost another bet again, eh, Obi-Wan?" Dex asked.

"No," the Jedi Master replied. "Anakin saved my life…again, and apparently, that gives him permission to make me buy lunch."

"Coming right up!" the creature declared, heading back into the kitchen.

The three Jedi took a place at the cleanest table in the diner and awaited their orders.

"So, you come here often?" Jack asked.

"It's the place to be after a mission," Anakin answered. "With prices on Coruscant skyrocketing these days, Dex's Diner is the cheapest."

"Since we know Dex, he usually gives us a discount or buys our lunch for us," Obi-Wan explained, sipping on Jawa Juice.

Jack took a sip and nearly spat it out. He felt like he was drinking the bodily fluids of someone or something.

"I think I'll just have water," he said in a hoarse voice.

Judging by their mischievous grins, the two Jedi enjoyed that scene. These two were starting to grow on him.

Jack decided to tell them about some of the technology feats that the people on Earth accomplished. Needless to say, the Jedi weren't astounded or awestruck by the "advances" the humans made.

"Let me get this straight," Anakin said. "They improve these _'fones'_ to do things that a computer can do and just keep adding stuff to it!? How can something like that be popular!?"

"This _'texting'_ you mentioned might prove useful on your world," Obi-Wan noted, "but I have a feeling they don't have intergalactic…reception, as you say."

"Indeed," Jack agreed.

Jack was still contemplating on whether he should reveal the existence of Cybertronians, but he decided to wait. Whether he was being paranoid, _(Damn it, Windu. You're rubbing off on me.)_ or smart, he didn't know whether to completely trust these guys. As time goes by, maybe. He didn't know the logistics of the Republic, but he would be damned if he let them draft the Autobots and Earth into their war. Both factions had enough problems at the moment.

While Obi-Wan and Anakin were busy discussing about the missions they recently went on, Jack zoned it on something outside. A woman was hurrying into an alley with three men following her. He sensed the woman's fear and terror and the glee and lust those…people had.

Without a word, Jack ran out of the diner, feeling the terror increase exponentially.

When he came to the alley, the two men were holding her against the wall and the third man had a hand over her mouth. Obviously, they weren't planning on discussing the weather.

His anger rose to a boiling point, sickened that these creeps had the audacity to not only take advantage of a poor woman, but to do it in broad daylight. Were things really that corrupt on Coruscant?

"Hey!" he shouted, stalking into the alley with a murderous intent. "Let her go!"

"Back off boy," one of them threatened, "if you know what's good for you."

"Not gonna happen, you bastard," Jack replied. June would probably bop him on the head for using such language, but he didn't care at this point

"Do you know who you're dealing with?" the second man asked, brandishing a knife.

Jack pretended to be deep in thought. "Let's see: I'm dealing with three slimeballs that have no life and seek nothing but fulfillment. You three are a disgrace to men that even the lowest thief would have to bathe after running into you."

It worked. The two men dropped the lady and lunged out him. Fortunately, Jedi training made it easy to dodge the stalkers, but why stop there? He kicked the first assailant into the second, causing the two the fall down. The third slashed wildly at him and managed to scratch his cheek.

"Now that wasn't nice," Jack retorted.

Jack grabbed the assailant's knife arm and broke it, eliciting a scream of pain. He tossed him aside and took on the others with his practice lightsaber. He slashed the first guy's arm, causing a massive sting and hit him on the head with the hilt, knocking him out. For the second guy, he used the lightsaber to jab his…well, the one spot that men would not want to be hit in. His scream was that of a little girl, which would be funny later on. He grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall, taking him out of the fight.

Cautiously, he approached the woman, extinguishing his blade.

"Are you all right?" he asked softly.

She nodded, too stunned to speak. She mouthed a thank you before fainting.

The man with a broken arm tried to get away, but there was no way that Jack was going to let him. With the Force, he lifted the man in the air.

"Feeling terrified?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. "Scared? Men like you deserve to rot in the darkest, foulest hole that humanity can come up with. So, consider this to be a friendly warning."

He telekinetically tossed the helpless stalker into and through the window of Dex's diner. His stopping pointing was a wall that knocked him out, but did cause the wall to form a crater and many of his bones to break as well.

The spectators stared at the angry Jedi with fear and backed away from him as he examined his handiwork. Three stalkers were defeated and badly injured, but not enough to be life-threatening. He guessed the third guy would be in intensive care for a long while, though.

Anakin and Obi-Wan, who witnessed the last part of the fight, looked at Jack with amazement and horror. No Jedi would do this to people.

Seeing what they were thinking, Jack responded with, "They were planning to attack a woman."

Anakin glared at the fallen bodies. If he was here, they would be getting closed casket funerals when he was through with them.

"That was," Obi-Wan started, trying to find the right words to chide him with, "the most idiotic thing I have ever seen! What were you thinking!?"

"They had it coming," Jack replied. "They deserved _a lot_ worse than what I did, so I was showing restraint."

"How is throwing someone through a window showing restraint!?" Obi-Wan shouted.

"Because any person with a decent sense of morality would have done the same thing," Jack answered. "They deserved it."

Anakin's hidden pride vanished at that statement. Those three words were what he was thinking when he slaughtered the Sand People that murdered his mother.

"Hold it right there!" a voice commanded. "Raise your hands in the air!"

Jack turned to see five clone troopers with blasters being aimed at him. He considered mind-tricking them, but given that he was being watched by everyone, he complied while protesting.

"They were planning to assault a woman, sir," he stated. "I saved her."

The woman, who regained consciousness, stepped in his defense. "It's true. They were planning on using me, officer. Please, don't arrest him."

"I'll cover the damages," Dex assured, who witnessed the whole thing from the back room. If Jack didn't save her, he would have. "This boy should be given praise, not rebuke. There's too much of this disgusting behavior on this world."

Jack smiled at Dex. He returned the smile and a wink.

The clone decided to follow his gut in this one. "Fine, but I will need a statement from you and the woman."

Jack explained what happened while adding what he did to them. The male species cringed when he described jabbing his lightsaber into you-know-where. The woman said the same thing, while complementing and thanking Jack over and over. In fact, everyone, save for the Jedi, applauded his choices.

"Next time you do this, I would reduce the damages done," the clone warned. "There is, after all, inflation on this planet."

"Duly noted," Jack responded, grinning because the only reason for reducing damages was finances.

"Get these scumbags out of here," the clone demanded.

The clones carried the bodies onto a speeder and drove off towards a medical facility.

Jack briefly wondered what would happen if the Jedi Council would find out. Judging from Obi-Wan's disapproval, he wouldn't wait long.

* * *

"Unacceptable!" Windu exclaimed. "Jedi do not exhibit that kind of behavior under any circumstances!"

Jack stood in the middle with Aayla, who was none too happy at Jack.

"What would you have me do?" he asked, getting pissed off again. "Watch a woman get raped while meditating?"

"You could have called the police," Aayla said, "and stalled them."

"For the record, _they_ attacked _me_," he protested. "I was defending myself."

"Defending yourself is one thing," Plo Koon explained. "Willingly injure them brutally is another."

"Has _this_ been what you were teaching him, Master Secura?" Windu asked.

"Hey, don't blame my master!" Jack defended. "This was mine and mine alone!"

"Calm yourself, you will!" Yoda ordered, banging his stick on the ground. "Respect, you will show!"

"While his actions were…troubling," Ki-Adi admitted, "he did do it to save a woman's life. That should be considered."

"Let his anger take control, he did," Yoda countered. "Anger is the path to the Dark Side."

Jack took a deep breath and let it out, exhausting his feelings of anger and resentment. True, he went _way_ overboard, but if he had the chance, he would do it again. Maybe not quite as dramatic as throwing someone through a window, but something close enough. He doubted that the Council was going to let him off scot-free, but maybe they would be lenient in this case.

"Master Secura, perhaps you should talk to your Padawan and make things clearer," Windu suggested/ordered. "You can decide his punishment. You are both dismissed."

Aayla and Jack bowed before leaving the chambers. Judging from the look on Aayla's face, this talk was going to be a doozy.

**Hope no one was OOC. Out of all the people to freak in a humorous fashion, Obi-Wan was the best choice. I think Jack's tactics strongly reminds him of Anakin. I knew Jack couldn't last forever without getting into trouble, so I wanted him to do it vigilante style. Originally, it was going to be against other Padawans, but I figured that they would be more restrained than others.**

**Believe me when I say that Jack's run-ins with the Council are far from over. I bet that the only reason they tolerate him is because his powers are out of control. **

**Next chapter: Jack gets a tongue-lashing and gets to go to Ilum where he will get a lightsaber crystal and build his first lightsaber.**

**The one after that will be his first mission. Yippee! Feel free to guess what mission he's going on. It's one you won't expect. If you guess it, I'll give you cookies. **

**NOTE: To those who don't know, I got the flashburn idea from one of the best Star Wars books: ****I, Jedi.**** You must read it. It is the best Star Wars book I have ever read.**


	8. Chapter 8

**The Prime Writer and other viewers: This chapter might provide an explanation. If not, tell me.**

**Guest: Perhaps.**

**Guest: Perhaps.**

**ArkonWinfel: I'll see what I can do. The plot will be mostly in the Star Wars universe, but Earth might be visited a couple of times. Save for Agent Fowler and the meddlesome kids, they won't be first-contact scenarios. Your idea with Metroplex is intriguing. I will definitely think about it for the future. **

Chapter 8: In Case of Emergencies, Reconcile

Jack stalked off away from the chambers, away from his master before she could talk, away from the Temple. He needed to be alone to sort this out. Condescension was what he kept receiving for falling ever so slightly out of line. First it was his attachments-No! _Connections_ to his homeworld; then, it was his instability with the Force, which was the only reason why the Council let him be trained so he could be controlled.  
_  
Controlled!_ He wasn't some robot that could be reprogrammed or a dog with a shock collar. He was a human being, and yet he was treated less than that. He was a danger in their eyes and nothing he could do would change that. True, many of the younger Jedi saw him as a great Jedi that could even rival Anakin Skywalker in a duel (he had yet to test that theory), but the older group saw him as the opposite.  
_  
Anger leads to the Dark Side._

Attachments lead to the Dark Side.

Love is forbidden.

Power can consume even the wisest.

Arrogance leads to great falls.  
  
For crying out loud, Jack was a teenager, not a plague. When he demonstrated his growing power in the Force, the caution level rose from all sides. If he could be turned by the Sith, he would make a terrible enemy. So, what was the "fantastic" idea the Council had? Make sure that every trace of darkness, anger, and even attachments were stamped out. Lecture after lecture he would receive because they feared him. Whenever Aayla had to go fight in a battle, Jack would have to be under the tutelage of the Council. Always would they lecture him about the slightest chances of being corrupted. He tried to stay polite, but the incident earlier made him snap. Couldn't they see his point? Apparently not, because they're heads were in a place where the sun doesn't shine.

Jack wandered the streets of Coruscant, a dark and filthy place. From above, the planet could be seen as the crown jewel, but down here, he could feel pain, hatred, and suffering in droves. It was only because he had a lightsaber, albeit a training one, was he not the victim of any attacks or attempts of theft. Creatures, mostly ugly ones, glared at him, but made no moves to hurt him.

He found a wooden bench and took a seat. It was the only thing that was clean in this underworld and it was, for the most part, in solitary. Jack desperately wished for the trials in his life to just pause for a moment First it was the Autobot war, then it was being transported to a different galaxy, and finally, it was the pains of a Jedi. He just wanted to go home and put all of this crap behind him.

"How did you find me?" he asked, sensing Aayla approaching him.

"Because I do know you, Padawan," she answered, taking a seat next to him. "Whenever you felt something like this, you would try to find a place of solitude to think. It's the closest you could get to meditating."

"Or maybe I wanted to be alone," Jack countered. "Maybe I wanted to get some peace and quiet from the troubles of the world."

Aayla sighed. "You can't always run from your troubles, Padawan. You have to face them-."

"Can you just stop for a moment!?" he interrupted. "I want you to do me a favor. If you want to talk to me, I want you to get down to my level. Take off the Jedi Master mantle for a moment and let me talk, okay? Please."

Aayla knew that a Master could learn from a Padawan, and if this was how to do it, so be it. After, Jack was her first Padawan and she did not want to cause him to fall. "I will do my best, Jack."

Taking a deep breath, Jack spoke. "I am trying so hard not to lose my sanity, Master, and it has only been a month. Do you know why I have been training so hard? I'm trying to get my mind off of the fact that I can never get home. You and a few others understand that. The Council, on the other hand, are watching me as if I'm a bomb ready to go off. They don't trust me and I don't trust them, considering that they violated my privacy by probing my mind without my consent."

"Your hostility has been evident, though," Aayla reminded him.

Jack sighed. "I know. It's just that because I'm a powerful Force-User apparently, I'm under surveillance. One slip-up and I might get deemed Darksider or something along those lines."

"You give the Council too little credit, Jackson," she replied. "While many of them are not as…understanding as others, a few of them will give you the benefit of the doubt. You need to let go of your bitterness if you want them to trust you. It is not wrong to be angry; it leads to the Dark Side when you hold on to it. I know what it's like to be consumed by the Dark Side."

Jack gaped at her. "Seriously? You!?"

Aayla nodded, but hesitated. This was a dark moment in her life, but she decided to follow her instincts on this one.

"I was a Padawan about your age. My master, Quinlan Vos, was a good man."

"He was your father-figure," Jack guessed. "The one you mentioned on the Lurmen Planet."

She nodded. "He took me in as his apprentice and taught me the ways of the Jedi. One day, however, we were sent to investigate a situation on Ryloth. It was a simple mission, but all went wrong. We were captured, drugged, and we both lost our memories. I was separated and taken in by my uncle. He kept feeding me the drugs in order to keep my memories from coming back.

"My master regained his memories and confronted my uncle. I, having no memory of my former master, tried to push him out of the way, but only caused both my uncle and Vos to fall out the window. My master survived, but my uncle did not. I truly believed in that moment that it was because of Vos my uncle died. I left, swearing to kill him.

"After escaping to a planet called Kiffex, I was trained by a Dark Jedi that I foolishly released. He trained me so that I could kill my master. When we met, I fought to destroy him, but my memories returned to me during the battle. The Dark Jedi knocked me out with Force Lightning, but my master killed him. I was returned to Coruscant blaming myself for the whole incident, but Master Yoda did not blame me. He told me word for word, 'A Jedi you still are, and with you is the strength to overcome. But _believe_ it, you must.'"

Jack nodded in response, slightly taken aback by how far that she fell. All he could say at that moment was, "Wow. So, what happened to Vos?"

"He went on a journey to find himself in a way," she answered. "Today, he's a Master of the Jedi Order."

"Good for him," he replied. "I just wish that I wasn't such a foreigner in this galaxy. I'm lucky that you people speak my language and that the food here is...bearable."

Aayla smiled slightly. "What do you have on your world to eat?"

A smirk appeared on his face. "Ever heard of pizza?"

She shook her head. "Can't say that I have."

"It's bread that's covered in sauce, meat, cheese, and anything else you can think of. When I get home..." He paused. "_If_ I get home, you must try this dish."

"Perhaps, but let's discuss what happened recently."

Jack's smile vanished in an instant. "I know I screwed up. I realize that, but I just wanted to do some good."

"I do not hold you at fault for that," Aayla assured. "Any person with a sense of right and wrong would have done much worse than you did, myself included, but you need to let go of your anger towards the Council." Her voice became strict again. "While they are not perfect, you must respect them. They will not treat you like dirt, and neither shall you. When someone loses themself in anger, when the smoke clears, sometimes the damage is irreparable."

"Yes, Master," he replied. "I'm sorry."

"Your future holds many paths, young one, but I believe that you will choose the right ones."

"You know, for a first-timer, you're not a bad teacher," Jack stated.

Aayla smiled again. "I believe we have been sitting here long enough. Shall we return?"

"I think we should," Jack replied. "Let's see what fate has in store for me."

* * *

By the time the two of them reached the Jedi Temple, Yoda approached them, his expression unreadable.

"Master Yoda," Aayla said as she and Jack bowed. "We have returned."  
_  
Gee, like he couldn't guess that._ Jack thought sarcastically. _Oh, scrap. Not again._

If Yoda had any indication that he heard him, he didn't show it. "Find answers, you have?"

Jack, realizing that he was being talked to, cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, Master. I realized that I was wrong in my attitude. I apologize sincerly for my actions and I will be vigilant in my future actions. What I did back at the diner was out of instinct for me. I felt as if she needed-!"

"Condone you for your actions at the diner, I do not," Yoda interrupted.

Whatever Jack expected from the small Jedi Master, this was far from it. "Really?"

Yoda nodded. "While holding on to anger leads to the Dark Side, wrong it is not to be angry. Talked to the witnesses we have and confirm they did that you showed restraint, save for last man."

"I apologize for that." Suddenly, a horrible thought crossed his mind. "Master, did I kill him?"

"No," he answered. "Walking normally, he never will. Careful you must be, Jackson, when you are angry. Say and cause things in anger, irreparable they could be."

The Jack 10 minutes ago would have commented on such repition of lessons, but now, he knew that sometimes, it takes more than one time to drill a lesson into someone's brain. "Yes, Master."

Aayla decided to join in at this moment. "Master Yoda, I do not believe he should be punished."

"Agree with you, I do. Come from a different society you did. Raised differently, you were. Take time it will for you to adjust. Making mistakes, a part of life it is. Learn from them, will you?"

"I will, Master Yoda," Jack promised. "You have my word as a Jedi."

Yoda gazed at Jack for a moment before smiling. "Sincerity, I sense from you. Believe ready for your next test, you are."

That caught Jack's interest. "Really?"

He noticed something flash in Aayla's eyes. It was a brief expression that she hid so well, but it was evident for a split-second. Jack recognized it as concern borderlining fear.

Her face portrayed skeptism instead. "Master, I do not mean to question you, but are you certan that he is ready? I am concerned at what this trial may do to him emotionally and mentally."

"Face our demons, we must at one point," the Jedi Master affirmed. "First step in conquering fear is to face it. Know this, you should."

"What are you talking about, Masters?" Jack cut in out of worry.

Aayla turned to Jack. "It is time for you to build your own lightsaber."

Forgetting all his troubles, anxieties, and other such negativity for a moment, Jack shot his fist in the air. "Yes! Finally!" Seeing the deadpanned looks from his audience, he cleared his throat in embarrassment. "I mean, I am flattered that you think of me worthy for such a task."

Yoda shook his head in annoyance. Almost _every_ Padawan reacted the same way. "To Ilum, you shall both go. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Master," Aayla replied, giving another bow.

Jack gave a half-hearted bow before heading into the Jedi Temple to pack. Aayla, however, remained behind.

"More to say have you?" Yoda sked.

"He grows stronger," Aayla observed. "I sense it every day."

"Lose him to the Dark Side, we must not!" Yoda warned. "A dangerous enemy he would be."

"He will not fall!" she assured strongly. "I know he won't."

Yoda eyed her cautiously. "Destinies, never certain they are. Grown attached to him, you have."

Aayla sighed. "When I saw him on Meridun, he was confused, frightened, and angry. Yet, he had a strong determination to protect those around him. How could I not care for the boy? From his mannerisms, I could tell that back on his homeworld, he was an outcast. He seemed to have a lack of friends. If the opposite, he would have talked about them."

Yoda paused to consider this. Jack must have bonded with Aayla so quickly because no one on his planet seemed to do that for him. "Hmm, interesting this is. Meditate on these matters I will. To Ilum, you must prepare for."

Aayla bowed again before returning to the Jedi Temple.

* * *

Things rarely surprised Mace Windu anymore, but ever since Jack came into their lives, "surprise" was a most-used term nowadays.

Jack had taken to lightsaber fighting, at least his version of it, quicker than most Padawans and Younglings. His unconventional tactics, like the ones he used on Aayla Secura, proved to become quite useful in a fight. Rarely would he use the same tactic twice in one fight. His adaption to the Force was incredible...scary incredible. If Jack ever started using the powers of the Dark Side, he could possibly rival Anakin Skywalker.

The confirmation of this theory was proven by the astonishing midi-chlorian count. Jack's numbers were barely _above_ Anakin Skywalker's count. How was this possible? The Council deemed it necessary not to make this information public knowledge, especially to Jackson Darby. This information was unsettling. What if he was decended from a powerful Jedi?

The answer came in the Archives: there was no match for Jack's blood-type. It was possible that there was another Force-User on Earth, but could he really be that powerful? And wouldn't he or she had to have been trained on Coruscant at on point?

The more Mace thought about it, the less sense it made to him and the more questions he received. He disagreed with letting Jack go to Ilum so soon (he tried using Jack's attitude as an argument), but he knew deep down that it couldn't be put off. Jack would be tasting battle again, and using a training lightsaber against his foes would not work.

"How goes your search, Master Windu?" Jocasta Nu asked sweetly.

Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. "I didn't find what I was looking for, sadly. Tell me, though. Did Jackson Darby check out any datapads recently?"

"About a month ago, he rented a mythology pad about whether the giant robots were real or not," she answered. "He wanted to write a story about it, but his Jedi training proved to take up more time. He returned it a week later."

That struck Mace as something extremely odd. Why would Darby be interested in a mythology book? And him writing for a story? Mace knew Jack lied about it, but he couldn't exactly prove it. First, he needed to find out why he wanted that datapad

"Thank you, Archivist Nu," he said, standing up. "I wish you a good day, and may the Force be with you."

"And to you as well, Master Windu," the archivist replied, giving a bow.

Once he left though, Jocasta Nu frowned. The war has changed Mace Windu it seemed. His paranoia seemed to have increased tremedously. Has he really stooped this low to keep tabs on the poor boy?

**Dun, dun, dun! Paranoia Windu is at it again. Will he find out something about Jack's past?**

**The story Aayla tells at the beginning I got from Wookieepedia. Good site!**

**After I wrote it, I realized that I accidentally threw in a Legend of Korra moment in this chapter. Kudos to those who find it.**

**This wasn't my favorite chapter to write, but I deemed it necessary. Aayla is still new to the teaching a Padawan thing. That's why she let Master Yoda talk to Jack more during the conversation. Fear not, she will get better at it.**

**I hope I explained why Jack had anger problems with the Council. Jack will start loosening up a little.**

**Next chapter: Jack goes to Ilum, but something strange happens naturally. **

**Review, vote, and stuff. No flames. Thank you all for waiting. I'm excited about the next chapter. I will tell you this: I bet you cannot guess what's going to happen to Jack in the cave. Ha ha! Do your best, though.**

**If you have any ideas, I won't shoot them down. If I say I will think about it, I truly will think about it. Who knows? Your ideas might end up in my story.**

**Warning though: I'm using Open Office, and they are terrible at spotting grammatical errors. I'll try to correct any you people see.**

**This is crod42 signing off. Hope to see you soon and a belated Happy New Year!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: The Vision on Ilum

**The Prime Writer: Whoa. Interesting ideas and the longest review I've ever got. I'll see what I can do. Flaws in my stories are usually I know what's gonna happen. I just haven't mapped out how I'm getting there.**

_I'm going to strangle the next person that tells me, "A Jedi feels no heat or cold," because that is FREAKING BULLCRAP!_

Ilum, to Jack's horror, turned out to be one, giant frozen land. On any other occasion, Jack would have killed to see snow, but when the cold turned his entire body into a walking icicle, the hot sauna of Jasper was looking pretty good at this moment. The blizzard winds bashed relentlessly into Jack, nearly forcing him back. Aayla had to walk slowly in case Jack's skinny build proved to be no match for this harsh weather.

According to Yoda, the Crystal Caves contained the crystals needed to build a lightsaber. However, the hazards contained in the caves could prove to be unsettling. A trained Jedi would be around, though, should something serious happen. Right now, the first hazard was being on the verge of freezing to death. Jack had yet to accomplish letting go of the cold.

Since the weather prevented ships from landing any closer, Jack and Aayla were forced to walk 2 miles in this godforsaken land of coldness.

Aayla tried to keep conversation to distract him from the cold. "This rite of passage is necessary, Jedi."

"COULDN'T THE PASSAGE BE ON A TROPICAL PLANET, OR WAS IT NOT IN THE BUDGET!?" Jack questioned over the harsh winds.

Slightly insulted, she retaliated with, "This is a sacred place to the Jedi Order!"

"I'M EXTREMELY HONORED!" he sarcastically shot back.

At long last, they approached the mountain cliff they were looking for.

"SO, THE CRYSTAL CAVES ARE IN THERE!?" Jack asked.

Aayla nodded. "Stretch out with the Force and open the entrance. Remember, size matters not."

Jack closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. At first, the cold managed to impair his senses, but as he began to let go of the worldly issues his body was facing, he felt the entrance. It was a puzzle, each frozen shard having a specific role to play. Jack always liked a good puzzle save for a Rubik's cube.

He smirked when an idea came to him.

Jack found the weakest point of the icy gate and broke it. Like a game of Timber, the entire gate came crashing down. Aayla had to use the Force in order to deflect the icy barrage.

"Are you out of your mind, Padawan!?" Aayla exclaimed, bewildered by his reckless display.

"It worked, didn't it?" he asked innocently.

Rolling her eyes and muttering about a miniature Skywalker, Aayla led Jack through the revealed entrance of the old Jedi Temple.

Inside, massive statues of Jedi flanked the two as they journeyed through the long-forgotten temple. Naturally, everything was crafted out of ice, but it was truly a beautiful sight. Up ahead, was another ice wall that covered the entrance to the Crystal Caves.

Jack was about to shatter the wall, but Aayla stopped him.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Sacred ice cubes."

With the Force, she opened a window high above. The sun, like a spot light, impacted a structure that contained a giant crystal. Aayla revolved the mechanism around until the sunlight went through the crystal and impacted another crystal. Like a laser, the light pierced the wall, melting it to water and revealing the entrance.  
_  
That just screamed Indiana Jones._ Jack thought inwardly.

"You must go inside, Padawan," Aayla said, "Retrieve your crystal, but do not linger. As daylight falls, the ice wall will return and you will trapped inside."

Jack smirked again. "If that happens, I'll just shatter the ice wall."  
_  
So much for that part of the test._ Aayla thought before speaking again. "Trust in the Force to guide you. Beware: your eyes may deceive you. Do not always rely on your sight. The Force will never fail you. Now, go and may the Force be with you."

With a nod, Jack hurried inside the entrance.  
_  
Miko would be so jealous right now. _He thought as he took a look around. Instead of a dank, dark, water-dripping, ominous cave, the caves were made of ice as well that seemed to have an unknown light source. Still, the cold could have been left out in the design. Clinging on to his hood tightly, Jack continued to follow the path until he saw a fork in the road. One led left, while the other continued forward.  
**_  
Go right._**

Jack paused for a moment. Was the Force speaking to him?  
**_  
Go right._**

Jack decided to trust in the Force, if that's what was speaking and go right.

For hours continued down this path until he came across a narrow bridge that was over a sheer drop to certain death.

"Isn't this usually the part in the story where something happens to the bridge, causing the poor soul to fall?" he asked himself. He shrugged. "I'll wing it."

Cautiously, Jack walked in single file on the bridge. He got rid of any notions of slippery ice as he walked. If he was plagued by fear, there would be no way he could cross over without freaking out. All of a sudden, he heard rumbling. Daring to look up, he noticed some ice starting to break off from the ceiling.

"Oh, crap!" Jack swore, making a run for it and not a moment to soon.

The ice came crashing down, breaking the ice bridge in the process. Jack made a daring jump to the other side, but could only grab the slippery ledge. Now, he began to panic.

"Master! Help!" he cried. "Master! Please!"

Jack tried to pull himself up, the slope was too slick. In fact, his hands started slipping.

"Someone help me!" were the last words he uttered before plunging down to his demise.

* * *

Aayla waited patiently outside for Jack. He had only been in there for four hours. Already the wall was halfway frozen. In a few more hours, the ice would completely encase the entrance once again.

Suddenly, her mind was barraged by images of Jack screaming for help. Without hesitation, she ran inside the cave, using the Force to quicken her pace. What took four hours only took one as she came upon the broken bridge.

"No!" Aayla exclaimed in horror. "Jack!"

There was no answer.

She reached out into the Force to find her Padawan, but could find nothing. Part of her wanted to jump off the ledge and find out answers, but the fall would surely break her leg. Sensing a path, she quickly ran down it. There was no way she was about to lose her first Padawan.

* * *

**_Wake up, boy. We don't have all day.  
_**  
Jack groaned softly.  
**_  
Get up!_**

Immediately, the teen shot awake, dazed from the fall. He prepared himself for the pain that would surely come and received...none. Wait, what? Aside from some bruises and cuts, no bones were broken and neither was he dead. Just in case, he pinched himself and found himself fortunate that he wasn't dreaming.  
**_  
Well, aren't you lucky? The Force did not allow you to be harmed. What a rare occasion._**

From the slight sarcasm, Jack realized that the voice was not the Force. "Who are you?"  
**_  
Some would say I am a puzzle, others would name me dead, and the rest will immediately assume that you are currently losing your mind. Then again, your mind has already been damaged enough, hasn't it?_**

Jack ignited his training lightsaber angrily. "Show yourself, coward!"

The voice was insulted. **_Coward. Hardly. Besides, your training lightsaber will not affect me. Yes, boy. I know a training lightsaber when a see one. Look to your left.  
_**  
Jack slowly turned to his left and saw a hooded man in his reflection. From the attire, he was a Jedi, but the hood covered his face.

"You're a Jedi?" he asked cautiously.

The hooded man laughed. **_The robes don't automatically make me a Jedi, Padawan. Do not let that fool you in the future. I am a servant of the Force. Nothing more, nothing less. That is all you need to know at this point.  
_**  
Jack deactivated his lightsaber, slightly skeptical. "What do you want?"  
**_  
I only seek to help you, Jackson. If you want more proof that I am from the Force, then I will tell you that you are currently not telling the Jedi Council or anyone else about the Autobot and Decepticon War currently occurring on your planet, Earth. As the expression goes, "How about them apples?"  
_**  
Jack stood in awe. Not only did this man know of his secret, but he knew an Earth expression.  
**_  
It was wise of you to keep the war a secret. There are those who cannot be trusted, but you can trust the Council, despite their...views._**

"Okay," he said slowly. "What happens now?"  
**_  
Now we can go find your crystal and we must hurry. Your master will not find you until after your little adventure is over._**

"Terrific," he replied, deadpanned. "Which way?"

The mysterious Jedi put his fingers to his chin in deep thought. **_I say left._**

"Then left we shall go, Hood Guy," Jack said with a smirk before walking left.

He could see a smile on the other guy's covered face as he followed. **_I like you, kid. You remind me of someone I once knew when I was alive._**

"I figured you were dead. How did you die?"  
**_  
Thanks for the reminder, and I will not reveal about myself until you are ready. By the way, you are not ready for this. So, tell me, Jackson, how are you faring in your journey?  
_**  
Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Part of me enjoys becoming a Jedi, but the other part misses home. I just want a chance to be able to let the people I love know that I'm alive."  
**_  
So, what will you do once you reach Earth and say, "Hey, I'm alive?" What then?_**

Jack paused for a moment. He hadn't considered that. "I don't know. I never really got that far. All I knew was that I needed to at least see them again."  
**_  
I see. Let me give you a tidbit of advice, kid. Sometimes, when we reach a certain goal, it may or may not be everything we hoped for. Granted, I believe that they deserve to know that you are alive, especially your mother. Mine never knew since I never knew her. That was one of the many prices I paid in my lifetime. I've always wondered what it would have been like to have one. Is it nice having one?_**

"Not all the time," Jack admitted. "Sometimes, even when she's wrong, she's right. I'm just the kid. There have been many occasions where I couldn't defend myself because she was the parent. At the same time though, she loves and cares about me. She would give up her life for me and I would too. I would never trade any of those experiences. She's kind, warm, caring, and everything that a mother should be. I will always love her and she will always love me."

There was a pause before the spirit spoke again. **_That sounds fascinating. If only more Jedi could know love._**

Up ahead, Jack could see something glowing in the distance. _That might be my crystal._

As he walked towards it, feelings of danger started coursing through his body. Remembering what happened last time, Jack stopped in his tracks and scanned the room. He noticed that there was a notable crack in the floor. One more step could send him tumbling down into a deeper part of the temple. With a Force Jump, he cleared the floor and landed in front of the glowing, green gem.

It seemed to radiate with the Force. When touched it, a feeling of warmth coursed through his body. This was _his_ crystal. This is why Jedi consider their lightsabers a part of them because it formed a bond with their true masters. In other hands, it was just a weapon.

Jack pocketed the crystal and turned to his companion, who was nodding in approval. But then, another thought occurred to him: _why stop there?_

* * *

_(8 hours later)_

Exhausted and depleted from searching, Aayla nearly collapsed on the icy floor. She had been searching for her Padawan for a long time and still there was no sign of him. It was like he was being cloaked by someone, hiding him from her senses. Worry started to seep into her. What if Jack was kidnapped by a Sith or another Force-User? What then?

Finally, Aayla started sensing Jack clearly. She followed the trail, feeling the energy of her Padawan growing stronger. When she caught up with him, Jack was—_Impossible._

There he was, sitting _outside_ the crystal chambers sleeping. After all that hard work she put in to find him, turns out, _he_ was waiting for _her_. His sleeping added to the insult. Jack could have at least left her message somehow so she wouldn't have wasted her time searching for him.

When Aayla got close enough, Jack sat up, a smile on his face.

"You're back!" he exclaimed.

Whatever negative thing Aayla was about to say, she dismissed it, feeling Jack's happiness at seeing her.

"How did you make it out?" she asked, concerned and relieved. "I found the destroyed bridge and...you don't even have broken bones! What happened in there!?"

Jack got to his feet before answering. "The Force guided me and prevented me from dying or getting anything more than mildly injured. Why you couldn't find me, I can't understand it." He pulled out his green crystal. "I believe this is a lightsaber crystal, right?"

She cracked a grin. "Indeed, it is. You have done well. When we return to Coruscant, you will build your very first lightsaber."

"_Lightsabers,_" he corrected.

Aayla looked at him confused. "You got another one."

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out eleven more crystals. "Eleven more, to be exact."

* * *

_(One hour earlier)_

**_Spares!?_** The spirit exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. **_Brilliant! All of them have been bonded to you no less. You do think ahead._**

"I try to be realistic," Jack explained, pocketing the final crystal. "If my lightsaber ever gets destroyed, I want to be prepared for the worst, you know."  
**_  
You will make a fine Jedi as long as you don't stray. Can you find your way back?_**

Jack nodded. "I know where I am. Thank you for keeping me company. Before you go, I have two questions."  
**_  
Shoot, but if they are questions about my past, I will not tell you- _**

"-Until I'm ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What should I tell my master and will I ever see you again?"

The hooded man considered these questions carefully. **_I believe it best for her not to know. If she asks, tell her, "The Force guided you," and you won't be lying. As for the other question, I believe the Force plans to use me for your future just as I am related to your past._**

Jack's eyes widened. "Past?"  
**_  
Farewell, Jackson Darby. Until our next meeting._**

With that, the spirit vanished with a wave, leaving Jack's reflection behind.

"I think he's a bit of a nut," Jack inferred.

* * *

_(Present)_

Aayla placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "You have shown yourself truly worthy to become part of the Jedi Order. Your resourcefulness and preparation will make you a great Jedi."

"Thank you, Master Aayla," he replied. "I feel...pretty awesome right now."

She chuckled. "Don't let it get to your head. The last thing we need is another reckless, arrogant, powerful Jedi in our ranks."

Jack smirked. "I believe that I will astonish him when we return. And I cannot wait to see the look on his face."

* * *

_(Coruscant)_

As the shuttle landed, a group of Jedi waited for them. Among these were Anakin, Ahsoka, Yoda, Obi-Wan, Kit Fisto, and a couple of Knights. Aayla was the first to walk down the ramp, greeting the Council members first.

"Master Yoda, Master Fisto," she greeted while bowing. "Jackson has passed his test."

On cue, Jack walked down the ramp with a green lightsaber in his hand.

"Well done, Jackson," Kit congratulated.

Jack was still smirking. "That's not all I have."

He took of his brown cloak and revealed eleven hilts strapped to his belt.

The response was mostly the same: open-mouthed expressions from Anakin, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, and the other Knights while Kit and Yoda had looks of approval on their faces.

"If my saber ever gets destroyed, I'll be ready," Jack assured.

"Now, why didn't you think of that, Anakin?" Obi-Wan joked.

Anakin glared at his former master while the others chuckled, except Ahsoka, who downright laughed.

"Don't worry, Master Skywalker," Jack interrupted. "I didn't make these sabers to make you look bad!" _That was a bonus._ "I'll be heading to my quarters now. Ahsoka, you owe me a duel sometime soon."

She grinned evilly. "You are so on."

"By your leave, Master?" Jack asked.

At Aayla's nod, he left for his quarters.

"A change in him, there is," Yoda observed. "More relaxed and confident, he is. Lacking anger as well."

"The Force guided him through the cave," Aayla explained. "He survived a great fall with only scratches and bruises."

Anakin's eyes widened. "That's impossible."

"There's nothing impossible with the Force," Kit lectured. "He is truly blessed that one."

Aayla nodded. "He is special."

**And so, another chapter done. Phew! I liked this chapter. Review, etc. **

**Jack will be more positive for a while. Let's hope it stays that way. Even I do not know. Oh, and I think I broke the fourth wall in this chapter.**

**Any guesses on who mystery man is? Many of you might know who he is. If you do, hooray for you.**

**Next chapter: Jack goes with Aayla and another Jedi on a mission and encounters something familiar and someone deadly. Can you guess guess any of these things. Bet ya can't.**

**Until then.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Mystery on Alzoc III

_(2 weeks later)_

Panting heavily, Ahsoka lunged and Jack who quickly sidestepped out of the way. She swung her blade around, but he bended backwards, dodging the lightsaber. However, Ahsoka kicked his legs out from under him, causing him to fall on his back unceremoniously. Jack blocked Ahsoka's downward strike and rolled out of the way of another slash. He jumped to his feet and started his offensive. Ahsoka blocked his attacks while backing up until she kicked the lightsaber out of his hands.

"Concede?" she asked, pointing her lightsaber at him.

Jack stretched out his hands out summoned his lightsaber. However, at the last minute, he ducked, causing the hilt to fly past him at hit Ahsoka in the forehead. The force of the blow caused the Togruta to stumble to the ground.

"Jack!" a voice called out.

The teen turned to see his master watching from the sidelines.

"Hit the showers!" Aayla ordered. "We're due for a Council meeting in one standard hour!" "Yes, Master."

After she left, Jack ran to Ahsoka's aide. "Sorry about that. Are you okay?"

Rubbing her forehead, she got to her feet slowly, using Jack's hand to pull herself up. "Ow. I can't believe I fell for the same trick you pulled on Master Secura."

"In a fair fight, you would have beaten me," Jack admitted. "In a real fight. I might have a chance to surprise you."

"That you did," she chuckled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better than I was a week ago," she answered, clipping her lightsaber to her belt. "Although, I may need some medication for that blow you gave me."

Not too long ago, Ahsoka was sent to a bio-lab in order to make sure a virus called the Blue Shadow Virus was destroyed. One last vial of the virus detonated, infecting her and the clones she was with. She managed to survive as well as the majority of the clones, but just barely.

"I'm so sorry," Jack apologized again, feeling extremely bad. "I should have taken into consideration about-!"

"Hey!" Ahsoka interrupted harshly. "Don't start babying me. I am quite capable of holding my own. After all, I did almost beat you. Ok?"

Jack nodded. "Sorry."

Ahsoka sighed in annoyance. "Come on, Jack. You don't need to keep apologizing. Within the span of one minute, I heard you say, 'Sorry,' three times. Anything you want to talk about?"

Jack sat down on the floor and Ahsoka followed.

"It's been a while since I've been home. I've been gone for about two months now and I'm wondering if I will ever get home. I guess in a way I'm homesick. Have you ever felt that way?"

"Truthfully, no," she answered. "The Temple has been all I've known. I have no memory of my family if I ever had one."

"That sounds depressing."

"You started it," she shot back.

"True," Jack admitted. "I'm hitting the showers. Catch you later."

Ahsoka waved him off as he left the training room.

In the time of an hour, Jack showered, read up on Force abilities, and tried drawing a picture. His sketch was turning out to be the man from the caves. Jack couldn't write it off as an illusion; he was too complicated to be one. Once he finished the sketch, he would go to the Archives and see if he could run a search to find out if these man was in the history books.

He managed to complete the top half of the drawing when he realized his hour was up. Jack quickly put on his Jedi robes and lightsaber before heading towards the Council chambers. When he entered, as expected, everyone was waiting for him.

"Masters!" he greeted, bowing.

The Council chambers were mostly empty save for Yoda, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and a hologram of Plo Koon. _Thank the Force Windu isn't here.  
_  
Next to Aayla stood Luminara Unduli, the master of Barriss Offee.

"Master Luminara," he said. "What a pleasant surprise."

The Mirialan Jedi smiled warmly before turning to Yoda. "We are ready for our debriefing."

Yoda activated a holoprojector and put it in the middle of the room.

The screen showed a fat slug that shouldn't even exist in life, but lo and behold, he did. The slug was Jabba the Hutt, a crime lord from Tatooine. Big, ugly, and corrupt, this...thing provided information to the Jedi (specifically, when they could pay for it.)

When the slug spoke, it spoke in Huttese, a language Jack had yet to learn. For three minutes, the Jedi paid close attention until he stopped speaking.

"So, what did he say?" Jack asked when the transmission ended.

"You haven't studied Huttese?" Luminara questioned.

"I know how to speak Togrutan, Ryl, even some Mandalorian, but not Huttese."

"Provided us with information, Jabba has," Yoda stated. "Separatist activity on Alzoc III, there is. Investigate it, you must."

Jack was skeptical. "Can we really trust this crime lord?" In reality, he wasn't ready to return to a cold environment so soon. "After all, what does he gain by telling us this information?"

"Trust in his greed, we can," Yoda assured. "A better offer, the Separatists have yet to offer him."

"Alzoc III is Jabba's territory," Aayla added. "He would be getting satisfaction if we kick the Separatists out." From the tone of her voice, she wasn't too happy about  
this arrangement either.  
_  
He could've solved that problem by setting up toll booths._ Jack thought to himself, but something worried him. "Master Yoda, if we're investigating Separatist activity, why send two Jedi Masters and myself?"

"We've learned not to underestimate the Separatists, Jackson," Luminara answered. "Better to be cautious than lazy."

"Go now, you must," Yoda urged. "May the Force with you."

The three Jedi bowed back before leaving.

"This is going to be interesting," Jack stated.

"You will be learning how to lead a squad when we get there," Aayla replied.

"Cool," he said offhandedly. "Wait, what?"

* * *

_(In route to Alzoc III)_

In all the years Jack has been alive, he has never led a single person in his life. In fact, most people _avoided_ him because he was a, quote, "timid, scared, skinny, idiotic kid." All of those things were true. He was never a line leader, never a hall monitor, and most certainly never a commanding officer of the military.

True, Aayla had given him a few points here and there before she went on some missions, but Jack never had any real training with clone troopers. He couldn't figure out the heads-and-tails of this whole establishment. All he kept thinking was, "What were you thinking, Aayla?" and, "Have you lost your mind?"

Fortunately, silver linings did exist. Luminara introduced him to Commander Gree, a clone with green markings on him. He also found Commander Bly, the clone that was with him on Meridun. Both were instructed to give Jack a crash course at leading a squad.

"Now, the main thing, Commander," Bly instructed as they walked around, "is to always plan ahead. You charge in there like a rancor and you'll be dead before you know it. Somehow, the dying out of recklessness part has yet to happen to General Skywalker."

"Don't I know it?" Jack replied, remembering the stunt Anakin pulled when he was wounded.

"Let's start with my men," Gree suggested. " The 41st Elite Corps. When we get there, someone, whether it be me or a brother will shout, 'Commander on deck' and they will stand in attention. I will introduce you and you can choose what to do then."

"Like what?" Jack asked, his anxiety growing.

"Check their weapons," Bly answered.

"Get to know them," Gree added.

"Figure out their strengths and weaknesses."

"Run drills."

"Spar with them."

"The possibilities are endless, Commander," Gree said.

"Please don't call me Commander," Jack pleaded. "I have yet to earn that title."

Bly put a hand on his shoulder. "Kid, you proved your worth on Meridun. Need I remind you that in your first combat situation, you destroyed a tank, saved General Skywalker, and captured a Separatist leader?"

Gree's eyes widened in recognition. "Wait a minute. You're that kid!?" When Jack nodded, the clone smiled. "Commander, you are the talk of the army. You truly did earn that title. Granted, leading a group is going to be difficult, but that's why you have us. We won't be holding your hand, though."

Once they approached the barracks, a clone shouted, "Commander on deck!" and every clone inside stood at attention.

"At ease," Gree stated. "This is Commander Jackson Darby, our newest commander under General Secura. Anyone treating him with contempt or disrespect will be punished severely."

The clone commanders left Jackson Darby in a room full of war-hardened clones.

Thinking about all the war movies and comedies he had seen in his life, Jack decided to try something.

He pointed to a random trooper. "Uh, trooper, what is your name?"

"Buzz, sir!" the clone answered.

"What is your skill-set?"

"Tracking and scouting, sir!"

Jack grinned. "Excellent. Does sniping come with the territory?"

Buzz nodded. "Yes, Commander. It does."

Jack turned to another clone polishing a missile launcher. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Draa, sir!" he answered.

"How good are you with that launcher?"

"Pretty good, sir!"

Jack met the other troopers: Flash, a medical specialist who has saved many of his brothers from death using flash grenades to blind his enemies; Psych, a blaster specialist who enjoys the thrill of fighting a little too much; Six, the current green leader for this squad; and Beater, a jet-pack specialist. All of the clones could fly, but Beater was the best.

"I know that out of all you," Jack announced, "I'm the rookie in this scenario. It is an honor, though, that I have been chosen to lead you all. You know why I wanted to know your names? I don't see you as clones, numbers, or expendables. I see you as men who are willing to lay down their lives to keep the Republic safe. You all have been through a lot, and let me tell you something I was once told: 'he who saves a life, saves the entire world.' Whether the mission fails or succeeds, you save a life, that is a victory within itself. You may be commanded to protect myself and the Jedi, but I choose to protect you guys in return. I will not leave you hanging. We're in this together."

There was a moment of silence and Jack wondered if he had said something wrong.

"Thank you, Commander," Six replied with a smile.  
_  
"We are approaching Alzoc III!"_ the intercom blared. _"All combatants please report to the hanger."  
_  
Immediately, Jack and the clones hurried towards the hanger where several Low Altitude Assault Transports, or LAATs, were docked. Aayla motioned for Jack to follow her into her gunship. Making sure that he had all of his equipment, he went inside. Once the cruiser was in the atmosphere, the LAATs took off towards the surface.

As they descended towards the icy planet, Jack decided to ask a question. "So, when do I start with the whole leading people thing?"

"For now, you will watch and learn," Aayla stated. "When a scenario arrives, I will let you choose the best course of action."

Jack sighed with relief. "Thank the Force." Seeing her expression, he stated the obvious. "I am _not_ cut out to be a leader, Master. At first, I thought you were tossing me right in the middle of the war zone."

She knelt down to his level. "Jack, did you really think I was going to do that do you? I would never do such a thing unless I knew you were ready, and you aren't. Consider this mission to be your first hands-on experience with working with an army. Once you are ready, you will be able to lead."

"Oh! Well, no wonder the guys didn't say anything after I gave that speech. That was completely pointless."

"I heard what you said to them," Aayla admitted. "It was not pointless. You spoke from your heart and I am proud of you for doing so. You may not be able to lead them today, but when you do, they know that they can count on you."

Confident, Jack looked at the mission more brightly now...until he stepped out of the ship.

"Is this revenge for me destroying the sacred ice gate on Ilum?" Jack asked, shivering.

Aayla shook her head. "Consider this to be a coincidence."

What caught Jack off-guard was several LAATs dropping off All Terrain Tactical Enforcers, or AT-TEs. He counted seven of them currently marching towards another icy wall. Many of the clones walked side by side with the walkers, but the Jedi had other plans. All three of them Force-Jumped onto the leading walker.

"Well, at least we aren't walking ourselves this time," Jack said.

Once they got closer to the icy wall, it was time for Jack to be tested.

"How do you think we should get past this wall?" Aayla asked.

Jack paused to think this over. "Well, we could go around, but that would take too long. Blasting it would also be less efficient and probably alert the enemy of our presence sooner. Therefore, the only conclusion I can come up with is...No! Is that even possible?"

The two Jedi Masters grinned, knowing what he was going to say next.

"All Terrain means 'all terrain.' We can climb that wall, can't we?"

"You are perceptive, Jack," Luminara complemented.

Within moments, the gargantuan machines started walking up the wall carefully. The ice was a little unstable. Whenever falling ice became a threat or an obstacle, the Jedi would Push it away.  
_  
This is turning out to be a cakewalk._ Jack mused.

He immediately regretted those thoughts once they reached the top.

On the other side of the wall was a crashed, Republic cruiser. The impact of the crash caused a crater in the middle. Who knew if the cruiser was getting ready to be buried in ice.

Gree looked through his binoculars and spotted something. "Generals, I see the clankers. They're looking for something in that ship."

Jack frowned. "Not good."

"We need to stop them," Aayla stated. "Whatever they are looking for, they must not find it."

"From where I'm standing we have two options," Luminara pointed out. "We could blast the cruiser from here or march towards them."

Suddenly, a sound interrupted the conversation. It was the sound of a ship flying closer towards their position.

"VULTURE DROID!" Bly shouted. "GET DOWN!"

The droid fired its rapid laser at the cliff, striking home. Part of the cliff collapsed, causing the walker to fall towards its icy grave. The Jedi and the Clone Commanders jumped off the cliff before they could be shot at again. They rolled down the slope until they stopped when the ground evened out.

"It's official," Jack stated. "Ice worlds are cursed."

Bly and Gree sent transmissions to the walkers to get off the cliffs before the vulture droid could blast any more off.

"Hands up, Jedi!" a robotic voice commanded.

They turned to see a squad of battle droids approaching them armed and dangerous as usual.

Instantly, the Jedi and the commanders sprang into action.

Jack sliced the commanding droid before deflecting a few shots from the others. Luminara used the Force to blast snow into the enemies before severing their heads. Once again, Aayla was fluid enough to block the lasers and destroy the droids simultaneously. Gree and Bly shot a few times and rolled out of the way of incoming fire.

"There's no cover!" Jack exclaimed, slicing in half a Super Battle Droid.

"He's right," Luminara agreed, leaping over two droids and sending back their blaster fire. "If we stay here, we will be picked off."

Fortunately, reinforcements arrived in the form of jet-pack troopers. Gree's squad fired down at the droids, taking down several of them.

"Grenade out!" Six yelled, tossing a thermal detonator.

The blast destroyed the rest of the squad.

"Glad you could make it," Gree said as the troopers landed.

"We almost didn't," Flash informed. "The Vulture Droids are giving the walkers hell, but they managed to take down a few."

More Vulture Droids starting coming towards them, firing upon the group again. With the Force, the Jedi Masters blocked the bolts. Taking a risk, Luminara threw her lightsaber directly at the droid. The blade sliced through its wing, making it start to spin out of control. The droid crashed directly in front of them, sending debris and snow everywhere. Losing confidence, the other two ships fell back.

"Nice one, Master Luminara," Jack complemented.

An idea came to Aayla. "I think we may have found our cover."

Using the Force, the Jedi carried the destroyed fighter with them while advancing towards the crash site. Whenever the droids started attacking, they would drop the ship and use it for cover. Then, the group would take out the forces and move on. This ploy worked three times until the ship became to destroyed to be used anymore.

"It was a good plan," Bly admitted.

Fortunately, more aerial droids decided to try and attack them again, but Jack had a really interesting idea in mind.

Aayla, realizing what he was up to, widened her eyes in horror. "Jack, do not even attempt it! It's too risky."

Jack just smiled and stretched out his hands. The Vulture Droid stopped in midair, forcing the others to break off. He clenched his hands, causing it to curl up into a ball. He telekinetically tossed the ball at the oncoming droids, destroying two-thirds of the next squad.

Luminara and Aayla gaped at him. Whatever they were expecting, that most certainly _wasn't _it.

"I'm not crazy enough to hitch a ride," Jack assured. "I know that for a fact."  
_  
"Generals!"_ a clone on the comlink exclaimed. _"We can bring an LAAT to you."_

"We copy, trooper," Aayla responded, deflecting more shots. "It's going to be a little hot."  
_  
"Understood."_

Within moments, the transport ship arrived and the group quickly got on before the next squad consisting of destroyers arrived. The LAAT fired down upon them and flew towards the wreckage.

"We will take care of the cruiser!" Aayla exclaimed. "Padawan, return to the walkers immediately."

Jack looked at her, surprised. "You're putting me on the sidelines? But I can help."

"Not this time!" she shot back firmly. "Return to the walkers now!"

Once again, he saw worry in her eyes not for herself, but for Jack.  
_**  
Comply, kid. Then jump after they leave.**_

"Yes, Master, I understand," Jack stated automatically.

Two seconds later, Luminara and Aayla leaped off the transport towards the cruiser. Three seconds afterwards, Jack jumped down as well, much to the horror of the  
clones.

"He's nuts," Draa said, shaking his head.

* * *

Standing on the whole of the cruiser, Luminara and Aayla fought for their lives. Droids came out of every nook and cranny they could squeeze themselves ready to kill the Jedi. Luckily, the Jedi Masters took them out quickly.

"If we get inside, we can activate the self-destruct sequence," Luminara suggested. "It will take out the droids quickly."

Aayla nodded. "I agree. Let's get inside."

"I'm afraid I can't allow that, Jedi," a voice interrupted.

The females turned around to see a bald-headed woman with two, red lightsabers in her hands.

"Ventress," Luminara sneered.

"We should have known this was your mess," Aayla added.

"Not mine," Ventress corrected. "I'm only here to tie up loose ends. Want to guess what they are?"

"You don't seriously believe you can hold out against _two_ Jedi Masters?" Luminara questioned.

A grin appeared on the Sith's face. "Why don't we find out?"

The Sith lunged at them with rapid strikes, but they were easily blocked by the Jedi. Luminara went on the offensive (mostly out of a personal vendetta) while Aayla flanked her. Together, the two were able to push Ventress back.

However, the Sith had a few tricks up her sleeve.

On cue, two destroyer droids rolled up to the battle and began firing upon the Jedi. Aayla, being the most experienced in this, deflected the blaster fire while still keeping up with Ventress. Luminara, on the other hand, had to focus her attention on the destroyers. With a mighty Force Push, she sent one of them toppling to the ground. The other droid, surprisingly, retreated. Distraction handled, Luminara joined her fellow Jedi in the duel.

"Sending droids to do your dirty work?" Luminara asked while they were in a saber lock.

"I call it having the upper hand," Ventress replied, still wearing that smug grin.

Suddenly, the droideka returned this time, it was ticking as if it was...

"Move!" Aayla exclaimed.

The destroyer exploded, sending the two Jedi sprawling across the ship.

Once the smoke cleared, Ventress had vanished.

"Where did she go?" Luminara asked no one in particular.

Aayla stretched out with the Force and sensed the Sith running through the ship directly towards-

"Jack!"

* * *

(_Slightly earlier)_

_So, what am I doing here other than pulling a Miko? _Jack asked, slicing down the remaining droids.  
_**  
The Force wants you to find the artifact.**_ Mystery Jedi answered.  
_  
Can the Force provide me a map?  
__**  
Use your head, kid. It's not rocket science. Think!**_

Jack took a look around and found something: a security room. Some of the footage might be intact from the cameras.

He began typing randomly (_**Your "brilliance" amuses me)**_ until the footage showed up. He watched what happened fifteen minutes before the crash. Apparently, a mercenary sneaked aboard the cruiser disguised as a clone trooper. He was looking for the object, which turned out to be something in a long, metal case. He was  
apprehended, but in his last moments, he detonated the engines, causing the ship to crash.  
_  
How am I supposed to know where the damn thing is?  
__**  
Stretch out with your feelings. You can find it.**_

Taking a deep breath, Jack felt his surroundings. He saw the entire ship and the battle currently going above. He searched quickly for where it could be until he saw it. The case was jammed in a wall not too far from his position.

Urgently, he dashed down the wrecked hallway and saw the metal case. Any passerby would have only assumed it to be a piece of debris.

With the Force, Jack pulled it out and opened the case. Inside was a gigantic, rust-colored object in the shape of a key. The design, though, Jack recognized instantly.

"Cybertron!" he gasped.

He had to get this thing out of here.

The snap-hiss of two lightsabers halted his efforts.

"I will take that," Ventress demanded, pointing a lightsaber at Jack's throat.

With a sigh of defeat, Jack raised his hands in surrender.

The witch smiled evilly. "A wise choice not many would make."

Jack grinned back and moved one of his hands to the left. The case and the key were flung out of the ship and into the snow. His other hand, he used to ignite his lightsaber.

Furious, Ventress started on the offensive. Instantly, Jack recognized her as a far superior opponent. This wasn't like the duels he had at the Temple. This woman was hellbent on killing him. He blocked her blows in a Form III fashion. The corridor was too narrow for Form IV and she wasn't providing any openings.

To make matters worse, Ventress gripped him in with the Force and slammed him to the floor. The blow nearly broke his nose, causing it to bleed. Laughing with glee, the witch slammed him into the ceiling, the right wall, and harshly into left wall. The final one broke down as Jack flew out of the cruiser and into the snow, which was being tainted by his blood currently. His lightsaber was about fifteen feet away from him, sticking out face-up in the snow.

Before he could retrieve it, Ventress landed in front of him.

"Goodbye, Jedi," she snarled swinging her lightsabers down.

Jack only had one shot and he took it.

With the Force, he deactivated her lightsabers, to her astonishment. Taking advantage of her surprise, Jack punched Ventress dead in the face, kicked her back, and ignited his lightsaber, which stabbed through her leg. The Sith cried out in pain as large mounds of snow fell upon her, burying her.

Jack looked up to see that his saviors, Luminara and Aayla. had arrived, both clearly unhappy.

"What were you thinking!?" Aayla questioned furiously.

"Believe it or not," Jack replied, summoning his lightsaber, "the Force wanted me to do it. I think I know why."

Before they could ask, the final Vulture came swooping in for a final assault. The Jedi prepared to take them out, but blue blaster fire destroyed them with ease.

The source came from a gigantic, white transport that descended directly in front of the Jedi.

Luminara and Aayla kept their lightsabers activated, but Jack deactivated his with a smile.

"Jack, what are you doing?" Luminara asked.

"He's a friend of mine from back home," Jack assured, walking towards the ship.

A lift descended from the ship and out stepped a giant, white robot armed with two swords. Looking at Jack, he lowered his guard and his face mask.

"Did I miss the party?" Wheeljack asked with his trademark grin.

**This chapter was based on a mission from Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes. Some quotes were taken directly from the game or paraphrased.**

**So, Wheeljack is back. What brought him here? And will he get Jack home?**

**Lightsaber duels were short for two reasons: one, I couldn't think of a good enough reason to draw them out; two, I am not good at drawing out battles. If someone could help me in that area, I'd be much obliged.**

I added the clone conversation earlier to demonstrate that Jack still cares about people, whether they are clones or not. He will get a chance to lead a squad, but not now.

**Next chapter: the Jedi meet Wheeljack and Jack has some serious explaining to do. Review! **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Going Home

The Jedi Masters stood agape, mouths open. They had never seen anything like the machine that stood before them. And Jack knew something like this creature?  
Suddenly, the group was surrounded by clones, LAATs, and AT-TEs. _Now,_ the army arrived a little too late. All weapons were aimed at the Autobot who held up his swords in a defensive position.

"Troopers, we've got a big one!" Gree exclaimed over the comlink. "Concentrate all fire-!"

"Stand down, Commander," Jack ordered. "That's an order. He's a friendly!"

"Are you positive, Commander?" Bly asked. "That thing is a clanker."

"This 'clanker' has a name," Wheeljack sneered.

Jack grinned. "I know him."

Wheeljack walked over to the teen, ignoring the dumbstruck Jedi and the clones. "Jack Darby, right? Last time I saw you, I made scrap-metal out of Makeshift."

"You have yet to be forgotten, Wheeljack," he replied. "You made an...impact, to say the least."

The Autobot laughed. "I hope that's a good thing. How'd you end up on this ice cube? You're a little far from home, ain't ya?"

"Long story short, Megatron blasted me into a malfunctioning Space Bridge. It was out of pure luck I ended on a different, habitable planet."

His eyes widened. "Megatron!? I thought he kicked the bucket!"

"He's back!" Jack announced sadly.

Wheeljack frowned at the sight of the army. "The welcome wagon never gets easier anymore. Who's in charge here?"

"We are," Aayla answered as she and Luminara snapped out of their brief daze. "I am Jedi Master Aayla Secura and this is Jedi Master Luminara Unduli. We are most gracious for your aid earlier."

Wheeljack nodded. "Oh, so you're the formal, poem-speaking leader types, huh? Call me Wheeljack. No special titles or anything. I am an Autobot from the planet Cybertron, if that means something to ya."

Luminara cocked her head to the side. "Cybertron? The planet is a myth."

Jack chuckled. "That's where you're wrong, Master. I've _been_ to Cybertron."

The Autobot's eyes widened. "What in the name of Primus were you doing there!?"

"Retrieving something for Optimus."

Gree cleared his throat. "Not to interrupt, General, but permission to check the cruiser for any more hostiles."

Luminara nodded. "Permission granted."

A good portion of the army headed towards the wreckage while the rest kept uneasy eyes on Wheeljack.

Aayla turned to Jack. "I think perhaps you owe us an explanation, Padawan."

"Mind if we talk in the ship?" he asked.

"Uh, this is _my_ ship you're offering, kid," the Autobot interrupted, "but I'll let it slide...this time."

"Very well," Aayla replied

"After you, ladies," Wheeljack offered with a sly grin. "I've got time to kill."

Now, the women were being put off by this guy. Something about his personality reminded them of someone, but they couldn't place the name.

Inside the _Jackhammer_, as Wheeljack's ship was called, the two Jedi Masters and Commander Bly, who went with them, were taken aback by how huge everything was. The chairs, the consoles, and everything else were on a gigantic scale.

"Incredible," Bly breathed.

"You get used to it after a while," Jack assured, easily knowing what they were thinking.

"So, we have questions for you both," Luminara started, taking a seat on the floor.

"And here I thought you wanted a tour," Wheeljack quipped.

"Wheeljack is Cybertron's solution to Anakin Skywalker," Jack whispered.  
_  
Terrific._ Aayla thought grimly. "For starters, why did you keep this a secret?"

Jack sighed before answering. "Three reasons: one, you guys dismissed it as myth, and I couldn't very well convince you guys without solid proof; two, I didn't want this knowledge to fall into the wrong hands; and three, I didn't want my planet or the Autobots or the Decepticons to be brought into the Clone Wars."

"What are Autobots and Decepticons?" Luminara questioned patiently.

Wheeljack pointed to himself. "I'm an Autobot. We're the good guys. Lesson over."

Aayla could not help but roll her eyes. "And I assume the Decepticons are your enemies?"

The Autobot nodded. "Got it in one."

"Clankers fighting clankers," Bly stated, shaking his head. "I can't believe it."

His voice took on a grave tone. "I assume you want the history lesson, but don't expect it to be wonderful. Cybertron used to be a utopia for us until Megatron, the Con leader, led a regime against us to seize control of our home planet. Millenniums passed, and our planet was completely ruined by all the mass destruction and collateral damage we caused. There was nothing left to fight for, so we scattered. To this day, we're still enemies despite our futile attempts to get the Cons to stop fighting."

Aayla realized that this was what Jack referred to back on Meridun. No wonder he was knowledgeable about the ways of war. Luminara and Bly were astounded, picturing images of what would happen if the war came to Coruscant. The result would be catastrophic to say the least.

Luminara then turned to the teen. "How did you get involved in this conflict?"

Jack scratched his head nervously. "By accident. A year ago, I met an Autobot named Arcee, who could transform into a vehicle. I got caught in the crossfire and I, plus two others, were taken to their hidden base so we could be protected."

"And yet, you weren't shielded from the war," Aayla observed. "Why?"

"Let's just say one of the other humans has the urge to go to danger and I usually try to bring her back with disastrous results," the teen answered. "Plus, a certain Con has a personal vendetta against me."

"Starscream?" Wheeljack wondered.

"Airachnid," he corrected.

"Sucks to be you."

"Thanks for the sympathy."

"I am sorry for the loss of your planet," Luminara interrupted sadly. "What brought you to Alzoc III?"

"I detected a Cybertronian artifact," Wheeljack answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"It's half-buried in the snow," Jack announced. "I had to get it away from a bald-headed creep."

On cue, _"General Unduli!"_ Gree announced. _"Ventress is gone, but we found the artifact. We have no idea what it is though."  
_  
Cursing herself for forgetting about Ventress, Luminara replied with, "Bring it to the Autobot's ship. He is the only who knows what it is."

"I'm flattered," Wheeljack stated, his grin reappearing.  
_  
"Understood,"_ the clone commander said.

"Once I get the artifact, I can drop you off back home," Wheeljack suggested.

Jack's eyes widened. "You can take me home?"

"Optimus would kill me if I left you on this ice cube."

For once, Jack was conflicted. On one hand, he needed to let his friends and mom know that he was still alive. On the other hand, he had a duty to the Republic. If he went home, what guarantee would he have that he wouldn't want to stay?

"Before we make any decisions, we must brief the Jedi Council," Aayla stated, crossing her arms.

Wheeljack waved her off. "Knock yourself out, lady. I've got an artifact to look at."

As the group left the _Jackhammer_, Wheeljack took a closer examination of the artifact that was brought to him.

"This is a key," he concluded. "Could open a treasure vault back on Cybertron, or some guy's locker. When I get to Earth, I'll see if Optimus knows about this."

The clones were still uneasy around this Autobot, so they wisely kept their distance. Wheeljack could care less.

"Master, I'm sorry I never told you," Jack said.

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Jack," Aayla assured. "Everyone has secrets. I understand your reasons for not speaking about it. However, we will have to tell the Council everything."

Jack nodded. "I'm ready."

Once they got a clear transmission to the Jedi Council, which only consisted of Mace and Yoda this time, Aayla and Luminara explained about all that transpired, including the fact that a supposed myth saved their lives. While the two Council members were surprised, they did not attempt to shoot down any of the facts. They wanted to speak to Wheeljack, but since he was quote, "busy tuning up my ship," he was camera-shy.

"Interesting, this is," Yoda stated. "Wise it is to not bring them into the war."

Mace nodded. "I agree. While an alliance with these...Autobots, as they call themselves, could provide an edge, we could end up bringing their enemies as well."

"There's something else," Jack interrupted and taking a deep breath. "He offered me a ride home, and I want to take it."

The results were obvious. Mace Windu frowned and Yoda remained expressionless.

"Need I remind you that you have committed yourself to the order?" he shot back. "Your attachments to your planet will hinder you. We don't have a guarantee that you will come back."

Biting back his anger, Jack calmly spoke. "With all due respect, Master Windu and Master Yoda, I cannot give you a guarantee. All I know is that I have a chance to let my friends and family know that I am still alive, but I am not bringing my planet into a war that will destroy them. If I do not return, then I have no place in the Jedi Order, but if I do come back, then I will be back 100%!"

The two Jedi pondered this decision. Usually, the Council would put it to a vote, but since the Jedi were spread thin, they would have to make the choice.

"To lose you, I would not like," Yoda admitted, "but a test, this may be. Return you may, be it briefly or indefinitely. See you again, I hope. May the Force be with you, Jackson."

Part of Aayla wanted to protest against this decision not out of logic, but out of...feelings. She did not want to lose Jack for good, but she knew that this was coming. If Jack had to go, then she will let him go. As a Jedi, it was her duty not to be attached to anyone, but how could she not grow attached to him?

"We will contact you shortly," Luminara assured the Council.

The transmission ended.

Jack turned to his master and offered her his lightsaber. "I believe I supposed to give this up."

Aayla shook her head. "No, I will not take it."

"Aayla-!" Luminara protested, but the Twi'lek held up her hand.

"You are currently fighting a war back home. You will need it to survive."

Jack smiled sadly as he reattached it to his belt, feeling awkward. "So, I guess this is goodbye. If I don't see you guys again, may the Force be with you."

"And to you as well," she replied.

"I wish you the best of life, Jack, should you stay or go," Luminara said.

"Tell Barriss and Ahsoka I said goodbye, please?" he asked.

"Certainly," Aayla answered. "To deny them a goodbye would be cruel."

Slowly, but surely, Jack started heading over to the _Jackhammer_.

"Ready to go, kid?" Wheeljack asked.

Jack nodded. "Let's go home."

The _Jackhammer_ lifted itself off the ground and blasted away into the sky.

"I'm going to miss him," Aayla admitted sadly.

"He had such potential," Luminara protested, still not believing the chain of events. "Why throw it all away?"

"Because he is devoted to his family and friends as we are to the Jedi." _Be safe, Jackson Darby. Do what you believe is right._

* * *

_(Four hours into the flight)_

"What a bunch of stiffs!" Wheeljack exclaimed. "Next time, I want to talk with this bald-headed nuisance."

Jack laughed, but it barely had any humor in it.

Wheeljack noticed it. "Kid, you all right?"

"Yeah, it's just..." His voice trailed off. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I get home."

"From what you've told me, you'd make a heck of a warrior. If I were you, I'd weigh the pros and cons before making a big decision like this."

Jack nodded as the ship exited warp, but they were near Saturn, not Earth. "Uh, Wheeljack?"

The Autobot chuckled. "Keep your shirt on, kid. I'm meeting an old Wrecker buddy of mine. It's only a slight detour." He pointed up ahead. "That's Seaspray right now at the rendezvous point."

It was a ship that looked like the _Jackhammer_ except this one was black instead of white.

Wheeljack opened up the comms channel to talk, but then his view screen was engulfed in an explosion.

"Seaspray! No!" Wheeljack yelled as the ship that held his comrade disintegrated in the fireball. The blast caused the _Jackhammer _to spiral out of control, but Wheeljack managed to regain control, and just in time too. Jack was about to lose his lunch right there.

Jack spotted a blue ship leaving the premises quickly. "There!"

"Slagging Decepticon!" the Wrecker roared. "Come and get some, you coward!"

He fired upon the ship, but it got away. Wheeljack sped after it much to Jack's chagrin.

"This Con is dead!" he swore.

Whoever the Decepticon was, he wasn't interested in fighting. He was doing all he can to evade Wheeljack's guns, thoroughly pissing the Bot off.

"Wheeljack!" Jack yelled over the lasers firing. "What are you doing!?"

"I know this Con," the Autobot stated. "It's Dreadwing. I'd be doin' the universe a favor."

One of the lasers finally hit the Decepticon's engines, causing it to start slowing down. For the next fifteen minutes, it kept flying until it reached Earth, going in for a landing.

"Welcome home, kid!" the Autobot exclaimed fiercely still in hot pursuit.

Jack would have been overjoyed with being home, but the possibility of imminent death at the hand of Wheeljack's flying prevented any such happy thoughts. As  
Wheeljack landed, Jack ignited his lightsaber. This was going to be a tough one.

* * *

(_Secret Autobot Base)  
(Miko's not here)  
(Yay!)_

"_PRIME!" _Agent Fowler roared over the communications as usual. "_What the hell are your people doing out here!? We had an agreement: NO COLLATERAL DAMAGE!"_

"I am sorry, Agent Fowler," Optimus replied, his cool head prevailing, "but all Autobots are present and accounted for."

Fowler was losing his patience. "_Then explain why I'm receiving reports of two jumbo-sized Autobots mixing it up 20 miles outside Omaha."_

"Decepticons?" Ratchet suggested.

"There has been plenty of infighting lately," Arcee observed. "Megatron can't seem to keep his ranks in line."  
_  
"Well, I'm just arriving on the scene. Have a look!"  
_  
The screen showed a blue Decepticon holding a turret next to his crashed ship.

Bulkhead looked at it carefully. "I don't know. Paint job aside, it couldn't be Skyquake. Bumblebee and Optimus pounded him into the ground."

"Question is who's the dance partner?" Arcee wondered.

The screen showed a white ship with a white Cybertronian readying his blasters.

"By the All Spark!" Ratchet gasped. "It _is_ one of ours."

"Wheeljack," Bulkhead identified, grinning like a kid at a birthday party. "Jackie's back!"  
_  
"I don't care if Abraham Lincoln's back!"_ Fowler exclaimed. "_We have to contain this situation before we all wind up on the 11:00 news!"_

Optimus nodded in agreement. "We are on our way."

Suddenly, Arcee spotted something on the screen. "Wait, Fowler. Zoom in on Wheeljack's ship."

The screen zoomed in on a cloaked figure holding what appeared to be a green glowstick.

"Looks like Jackie broughta friend," Bulkhead observed.

"Autobots, transform and roll out!" the Autobot leader commanded. "We will deal with the situation carefully."

Arcee gave another glimpse at the picture before heading out. Something about that person seemed familiar in a sense.

* * *

(_20 miles outside Omaha)_

Wheeljack hid behind his ship as Dreadwing bombarded it with his turret. The Autobot fired a few shots back before returning to cover.

"You've got nowhere left to run, Con!" Wheeljack shouted.

Dreadwing fell back as the Autobot advanced on him. Jack launched a huge Force Push, making the Decepticon crash into the ground.

"Got any other tricks, kid?" Wheeljack asked.

"If I can get closer without getting squashed, maybe," Jack responded.

Suddenly, a human ship descended towards them.  
_  
"This is Special Agent Fowler of-!"_ the pilot started before having to dodge Wheeljack's blasters. _"Whoa! Stand down, hot head!_ _I'm on your side."_

Dreadwing used the distraction to his advantage by blasting Wheeljack once in the foot in once in the chest. The force of the blast sent the Autobot flying backwards. The Decepticon fired at the teen, but he leaped out of the way, giving Fowler the chance to open fire. Dreadwing hid behind a bunker to avoid getting blasted to pieces.

"Hey, tin head!" Jack taunted. "Over here!"

"You are barely worth the effort, fleshling!" the Decepticon shot back. "Go crawl back in the hole you came from."

Jack tossed his lightsaber and used the Force to quickly guide it to Dreadwing's face. He moved out of the way, but the blade severed his left horn off. Enraged, he fired upon the teen, the shockwave of the blasts causing Jack to crash against the bunker.

Miraculously, a Ground Bridge opened near Wheeljack, who was tending to a wound on his shoulder.

"Had a feeling the gang might show," he said as Optimus, Bulkhead, Arcee, and Bumblebee arrived.

Dreadwing faced his new opponents with his turret, separating the group into pairs. Bulkhead tried shooting him, but the Decepticon took cover quickly.

"Jackie!" Bulkhead exclaimed, running to his aide.

Arcee and Bumblebee flanked Dreadwing and opened fire, forcing him to fall back again. He jumped over a gas station and spotted Fowler's jet coming towards him.

"That will do," the Decepticon said, scanning it.

"Not this again," Fowler complained.

Once the scan was complete Dreadwing continued to run with Jack in hot pursuit.

Wheeljack wasn't finished either. "Oh, no, you don't!"

"Wheeljack!" Optimus warned.

"Jackie, no!" Bulkhead cried.

Too late. He opened fire, causing the gas station to explode with Jack in range of the explosions. Dreadwing barely made it out in his jet form as he flew away, dodging the Autobot's persistent lasers.

"Dreadwing rigged the place to blow!" the Autobot snarled.

"Dreadwing?" Bulkhead questioned.

"Actually, that was your handiwork, Sparky," Arcee informed, clearly unhappy.

"It's called a gas station," Bulkhead explained. "Kind of like an Energon depot. Doesn't mix well with blaster fire."

Suddenly, Wheeljack widened his eyes in horror. "The kid!"

He ran towards the explosion, looking around.

"Kid, you in here!?" he shouted. "Kid!" He wasn't about to reveal that he brought back Jack and got him killed 20 minutes after he got back on Earth.

"Who are you looking for?" Arcee asked.

"Me," a familiar voice answered.

Out of fire, Jackson Darby walked out, his cloak slightly burnt and covered in ash.

Arcee staggered back in shock. "It can't be."

"How is this possible?" Optimus asked.

"Hi, guys," Jack said weakly. "I'm home." _Stupid line there, Jack._

"J-Jack?" Arcee stuttered, not daring to believe this miracle. "Y-You're dead. You can't be...alive. This is a trick! It has to be."

Jack stepped closer, lowering his burnt hood. "It's me, Arcee. I'm not dead. I never was."

The femme couldn't decide whether to hug her partner or kill him. She decided on the former. She knelt down to his level and embraced him. Jack, shocked at this result, hugged back sort of.

"I've missed you," she whispered, tears, or whatever Autobots cried, falling down her face.

"Missed you, too, partner," he whispered.

"Aw, aren't they cute?" Wheeljack asked with a grin.

"Jackie number 2 has come home!" Bulkhead cheered. "The kids and June will flip!"  
_  
"It's a miracle!"_ Bumblebee exclaimed.

"Coming home was a miracle in itself," Jack responded.

The Autobots paused for a moment.  
_  
"You can understand me?"_ Bee asked.

Jack pulled out of the embrace and faced the yellow mech. "Yeah, I can. It's a trick I picked up while I was away. By the way, Wheeljack, you owe me a new cloak."

The Autobot mockingly waved him off. "Put in on my tab."

Arcee whirled to the Autobot furiously. "You mean to tell me you fired at a gas station with Jack in the vicinity!? What the Pit were you thinking!?"

"He wasn't," Jack zinged.

"Traitor," Wheeljack mumbled.

"You almost got me killed twice," the teen shot back. "I think a little bit of revenge works just fine."

"Wheeljack, Jackson," Optimus interrupted, "I think we all would like to know what has happened to you, especially you, Jack."

The Jedi nodded. "All right. Give me a second."

He stretched out his hand and the deactivated lightsaber flew into his hands.

"How did you-!?" Arcee exclaimed in astonishment.

"I'll tell you when we get back to base," he answered with a grin. He was gonna enjoy this.

**Reunion at last! Yippee! Should I reiterate what Jack had done or just say he explained it in the next chapter?**

**This chapter is based on the season 2 episode Loose Cannons in Transformers Prime.**

**I decided not to make Arcee explode in anger with Jack coming back because **_**way**_** too many fics do that sort of thing.**

BTW, the quote, "Wheeljack is Cybertron's answer to Anakn Skywalker," the Prime Writer came up with that. Thank you.

**Next chapter: Jack explains what happened to him to the Autobots and reunites with his mom. **


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: The Good and the Bad

_(Secret Autobot Base)_

Jack didn't care how many times he used it; the Ground Bridge was still a nauseating experience to go through. Fowler would be arriving shortly via helicopter to debrief them and ultimately go through his, "Do you have any idea what you've done?" speech. Until then, Jack would be telling the Autobots everything. Before he did, though, he couldn't help but notice a distinct lack of Miko and Raf. He would ask about that later. Wheeljack brought the _Jackhammer_ and parked it in a cave on the mountain before rejoining with the others.

"So, what do you want to know first?" the teen asked, feeling like he was going through the motions again.

"Where have you been!?" Arcee exclaimed, still conflicted between being happy and wanting to kill him for putting her through misery. "We thought you were dead!"

"When Megatron blasted me in the Space Bridge, I was transported to another planet. I didn't know at first, but when I met other species, I was convinced that I wasn't home."

"Other species?" Optimus questioned.

Jack scratched his head. "Not sure if these names mean anything to you, but I've met talking lemurs, Twi'leks, Torgrutans, other Humans, clones, a weird obese alien-!"

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Bulkhead interrupted. "Other humans?"

The teen smirked. "Turns out, the other side of the galaxy has a plethora of humans."

Ratchet shook his head. "I can't believe it! In all my years of functioning, I have never heard or seen another galaxy consisting of the species you mentioned or other humans, in fact!"

"The universe is a big place, Doc," Wheeljack replied. "You might run across something every once in a while."

"Continue, Jackson," Optimus said.

"I managed to get a voyage off the planet to another planet called Coruscant. Think New York on a planet sized scale. Unfortunately, the Solar System wasn't in the Archives, so since there was no way for me to get home, I decided to become a Jedi."  
_  
"What's a Jedi?"_ Bumblebee questioned.

"Peacekeepers that have lived to serve the Republic and do good deeds around the galaxy," he answered.

"How long have these peacekeepers been around?" Optimus asked.

"The Jedi started millenniums ago."

Ratchet scoffed. "If these 'peacekeepers' were doing their jobs, why didn't they aide us on Cybertron in our time of need?"

"I think the Decepticons killed them," Jack guessed, shrugging his shoulders. "Here's my theory: the Jedi have heard of the Story of Primus and Unicron, but it was placed under the myth section. My guess is that if anyone came to your planet, it was during the war and they were promptly killed either in the crossfire or asphyxiated due to Cybertron's atmosphere. The stories were still told, just not ones that were believed."

"Judging from the weird attire, you're a part of this Jedi thing," Arcee stated, realizing where he was going with this.

Jack nodded, but decided not to go into the Force yet. "Jedi have...special abilities such as this."

He stretched out his hand and levitated one of Ratchet's tools to the floor with ease.

"Whoa!" Bulkhead exclaimed. "Impressive!"

"What about your glowstick?" Wheeljack wondered.

Jack ignited the green blade. "This is a Jedi's weapon. It can cut through almost anything."

With one slash, he severed the tool in two halves.

"JACK, I NEEDED THAT!" Ratchet shouted in horror.

Jack smiled. Some things never change.

The conversation was interrupted by sound of a car driving into the base. Jack recognized it as his mom's car and sure enough, June stepped out of the vehicle. He quickly deactivated his lightsaber and hid it on his belt.

"I got your call, Ratchet," she explained. "What is...the...?"

Her voice ceased to be used when she locked eyes with the person she had not seen in two months. No, it couldn't be! It had to be someone who looked like her son. The thought of thinking that Jack was alive was too painful to take. Already tears started to blur her vision at the memory of him. Why are the Autobots doing this to her?

"Mom?" Jack whispered, coming to tears himself.

Losing all composure, the two ran to each other and embraced like they've never hugged before. June uncontrollably sobbed, releasing the pain she had felt for two months into his shoulder. Jack could not hold back his own tears and the pain of not knowing the love of his mother in what seemed like an eternity. Screw the blasted Code. This was by far more wonderful than anything the Jedi had to offer.

"My son!" she cried, not daring to let him go. "My beautiful boy."

"Being away from you hurt me more than anything, Mom," Jack said softly. "Every time I thought about what you could be going through nearly destroyed me. How could I ever leave you?"

"You _are_ real," she affirmed.

"I'm here, Mom," Jack stated. "I'm here."

The two of them could have stayed in this position forever, but reality always had its way of sneaking up on them.

"Ow!" Wheeljack shouted. "Take it easy, Doc! I need that arm."

Ratchet, who had been repairing Wheeljack's shoulder while the Darby's had their moment, rolled his eyes. "Hold still and maybe you'll keep it."

June, kicking into mother overdrive, realized that Jack looked slightly burnt. "You're hurt! What happened to you?"

"I got slightly scorched by a fire," he answered, deciding not to let her know that he almost got killed. "I'll be fine."

June crossed her arms. "You are most certainly _not _fine, Jackson Robert Darby. Your clothes are all...What are you wearing?"

"Robes. Long story."

"How did you come home?" she asked, part of her believing this to be an elaborate dream.

Jack gestured to Wheeljack. "Jackie here brought me home while he was planet-hopping."

The nurse walked over to the Autobot, brushing away the tears off her red, puffy face. "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Call me, Wheeljack, ma'am," he replied with a disarming smile. "It was my pleasure. Kid's got quite a tale to tell."

Quickly, Jack brought her up to speed, but when he demonstrated his powers and his lightsaber (Ratchet: "YOU ARE NOT TESTING MY TOOLS AGAIN!"), she looked downright horrified.

"How is this possible!?" she gasped. "How in the world is this possible!?"

Jack shrugged. "I have no idea. It has something to do with midi-chlorians or some kind of biological crap!"

The mother side of June took over again. "Jack, you shouldn't be carrying that weapon. You could get hurt."

"I can't part from it, Mom!" he protested, refusing to relinquish it. "This keeps me alive and safe. If I ever run into a Decepticon, at least I can defend myself."

"While your weapon is impressive, Jack," Optimus admitted, "I fear that it would do very little to harm a Decepticon."

Wheeljack smirked. "Don't knock it, Commander. Dreadwing's horn is missing thanks to that glowstick."

"YOU FOUGHT A DECEPTICON!?" June and Arcee yelled.

Jack nodded, preparing himself for the lecture he would most certainly get from the Autobots and his mom.

Sure enough-

"You could have been killed!" June shouted more out of fear than anger.

"Putting yourself in harm's way was an unnecessary risk," Optimus added sternly.

"First Wheeljack nearly blows you up-!" Arcee snapped.

"WHAT!?" June thought she was going to have a heart attack.

"-Then you decide to go toe-to-toe with a Decepticon!? Are you out of your fragging mind!?"

"Ladies, calm down!" Wheeljack urged.

Death glares from the two women shut him up.

"I was trying to help Wheeljack," Jack protested. "I couldn't stay in the sidelines."

"You're a human," Arcee stated, crossing her arms.

Jack rolled his eyes. "You guys aren't going to believe unless I give you a demonstration, are you?"

"So you can lift a tool," Ratchet snorted. "Against a Decepticon you have no chance of—Hey, what's going on?"

To the Autobots' horror, Ratchet was fifteen feet of the ground, completely immobile. The source was Jack, who had his hand stretched towards him. The teen knew he should've kept his patience in line, but it was running thin.

"There are several ways that I can go," Jack said, enjoying this moment. "I can slam you against the walls or the ceiling, I could throw you out, I could even make you do the chicken dance."

"I would pay to see that!" Wheeljack exclaimed, excited.  
_  
"Me too,"_ Bumblebee added.

"Jackson, release our medic," Optimus ordered.

Slowly, Jack lowered Ratchet, who was still shook up over the incident.

"The point is that if the Cons come after me, I have a fighting chance," Jack explained.

"If Optimus did a better job at protecting you, the Decepticons wouldn't be coming after you!" June snapped. "I don't want my son fighting in a war. In fact, you shouldn't be fighting anyway."

"That's why Miko and Raf aren't here, are they?" Jack realized. "You sent them home."

Optimus bowed his head in shame. "We couldn't endanger them after your apparent demise, Jack, so I had to send them home. Bumblebee and Bulkhead patrol every once and a while, but we cannot bring them to this base."

The teen lowered his gaze. "I understand, but I've already been fighting."

"With Dreadwing, it couldn't be helped," Bulkhead protested.

"I'm talking about the Clone Wars!" Jack exclaimed.

There was a moment of silence. Only Wheeljack knew what he was talking about. The rest didn't know if he was kidding or not.

Jack sighed, frustrated, as he launched into another explanation. "There is a war going on in the galaxy I was transported to. It's galaxy wide and slowly spreading! I'm not just in the crossfire; I'm neck-deep in it! That's why I was delayed."

"Because you were busy playing hero?" June questioned angrily. "Was that more important than coming home!?"

Jack clenched his teeth, trying to let go of his anger. "Five minutes ago, I just told you that I could not get home, and now you have the audacity to say that? If you truly think that, you don't know me at all."

June then realized the gravity of her words. _Damn my emotions._ He just came home and she was already trying to pick a fight. What kind of mother was she?

She took another look at her son. He hadn't only changed in appearance, but mentally as well. He was less of the nervous teen and more of a cautious man and more serious. What happened to him?

"I'm sorry," she apologized regrettably. "I shouldn't have said that. Knowing you, you would have tried your best."

Jack nodded, letting the last of his anger flow away. "I did. Nothing popped up in the Archives. I was trapped as I wasn't going to get lost in space by trying to take educated guesses. So, I joined the Jedi Order and became part of the Clone Wars." He turned to the Autobots. "I watched good people die in the war and the enemies attempt to test a weapon on pacifists. I'm starting to know how you feel."

Optimus pondered his words carefully. "Is there any chance that these Clone Wars could reach Earth?"

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? Wheeljack made sure no tracking devices were planted on the _Jackhammer_ before leaving. I'm trying to give Earth less of a chance of getting involved in a war that could wipe us out easily."

The leader nodded in agreement. "You have chosen wisely, Jack. You would have made a wise Prime."

Wheeljack's optics widened. He knew Optimus wouldn't say that unless he meant it. "Did something happen while I was away?"

The group quickly explained what happened with Unicron, the Key to Vector Sigma, and Optimus losing his memories.

After getting over the fact that Unicron was Earth, the Wrecker smiled at Jack. "You never cease to surprise me, kid. You've definitely got big bearings for a human." He turned to the Autobot leader. "Apologies for the earlier fireworks, Commander. Won't happen again."

Jack rolled his eyes and replied with, "Until the next time."

Bulkhead chuckled. "You're behaving more like a Wrecker, Jack!"

Wheeljack wasn't finished. "I've been trying to bring down the Con once and for all."

"I thought you were roving the galaxy," Bulkhead said. "You know, looking for Autobot refugees."

Wheeljack nodded. "I was, until I found one: a Wrecker."

"Who?" the other Wrecker asked growing more excited.

"Seaspray."

Bulkhead laughed with joy. "How is old Barnacle Butt?"

Wheeljack lowered his optics. "Not so good, Bulk. Blown to bits, actually."

Immediately, the Autobot staggered back in horror and dismay. "What? No!"

"Dreadwing!" Optimus realized, feeling sorrow for the loss of another comrade.

"My flier picked up Seaspray's signal a couple of light-years from Madeira," he explained. "We made contact and set up a rendezvous in the Solar System. Then, I detected a Cybertronian artifact on some ice cube. I delayed the rendezvous and found Jack on the planet, about to be attacked by some pathetic excuse for a machine. I saved him, and found this." He held up the key. "Figured you might know something about it."

Optimus took the key, examining it. "It is unlike any key I have seen. I'll store it with the Iacon artifacts."

Now, Jack was confused. "Iacon relics?"

"A few weapons from Cybertron made it here," Arcee explained. "We've managed to get one, destroy another, and lose the third to the Decepticons."

Wheeljack went on. "Anyway, I brought Jack with me to the rendezvous, but, as it turns out, Dreadwing must've intercepted my transmission, 'cause he got to Seaspray first. A proximity bomb. It was supposed to take us both out. Guess I should be glad the _Jackhammer_ can take a punch. I chased Dreadwing down and he lead me straight back to this marble."

"I know of this Dreadwing," Optimus announced. "He was captain of a Seeker armada, and, as such, like his twin, Skyquake, fiercely loyal to the Decepticon cause. Dreadwing has no doubt traveled to Earth to pay allegiance to his one true master."

Wheeljack stood up instantly. "Hope he enjoys the visit, because it's gonna be his last."

Optimus intervened. "Wheeljack, this planet is heavily inhabited. Any strike we make against the Decepticons must be carefully measured as a team, lest we risk endangering the human population."

"Before you ask, it seems I'm the only human here who can wield the power of the Force," Jack added, tossing his lightsaber up and down.

Wheeljack was infuriated. "Are you suggesting that we sit back and do nothing?"

"YOU!" a voice yelled. "LOOSE CANNON!"

The group turned to see Agent Fowler, red-faced and ready to tongue-lash.

"Your cowboy antics almost blew our cover!" he rebuked harshly.

"Haven't changed a bit, Fowler," Jack said with a smile.

The agent whirled around to face him, completely astonished. "Jack? Jack Darby? I went to your funeral!"

"Good. I hope it was a good one."

"All we be explained in time, Agent Fowler," Optimus assured.

'"Cover?"' Wheeljack questioned.

"We're robots in disguise, Jackie," Bulkhead explained. "You needed an Earth-based vehicle mode outside of here."

Fowler returned to tongue-lashing. "That spaceship you shot down? _Not _Earth-based! I had to jump through big hoops to get it out of plain sight. You need to keep a tighter leash on your people, Prime!"

That pissed Wheeljack off. "'A tighter leash?'" He stalked towards him. "Let me clarify, tiny."

"Jackie," Bulkhead warned, but it fell on deaf ears.

He brought his face to Fowler's. "I'm _not_ one of Optimus Prime's people!"

After a brief, intimidating staring contest, Wheeljack walked out of the base, needing time to cool off.

"I'll talk to him," Bulkhead offered, "uh, with your permission."

"Of course," Optimus replied.

Crossing his arms, Fowler glared at the direction Wheeljack went in. "So, the new guy has a little problem with authority."

"Wheeljack and Bulkhead served together in the Wreckers," Optimus explained, "a combat unit that operated outside the normal chain of command."

Fowler looked at Wheeljack in a new light. "Hmm. Black ops."

"They accept missions no one else would, and many of them did not come back."

The agent turned to Jack again. "While I'm glad your alive, Jackson, what in the hell were you doing with a giant glowstick?"

Jack sighed. He was getting tired of explaining the same story over and over.

June noticed this and intervened. "William, if I may, I would like to take my son home. He's had a long day."  
_  
William?_ Jack mouthed.  
_  
Later._ She mouthed back.

"William" nodded. "All right, June. I'll debrief him tomorrow."

"Ratchet, open the Ground Bridge!" Optimus commanded.

Jack waved him off. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to put the petal to the metal if you're up for it, Arcee."

The femme grinned and transformed into her bike. "Climb on."

"Not without a helmet," June snapped, opening the trunk of her car.

"You kept my helmet in the truck?" Jack asked.

"No, mine," she replied, pulling out a silver helmet. "Sometimes, Arcee drove me when the car wasn't available."

Jack put in on and climbed on the bike. "Ready?"

"Hang on!" she replied, flooring it.

Jack screamed with happiness as Arcee drove out of the base. He really missed feeling the wind blowing and the adrenaline rush.

* * *

(Stolen Fighter in route to Unknown Location)

Never before in all the years as a Sith did Ventress come across a Padawan that bested her, save for Anakin Skywalker. When she fought this particular apprentice of Aayla Secura, she could sense the untapped power of the Force surging through him. For now, he was just a boy that was full of surprises, but if he could realize his power, he could become a great enemy to anyone who opposed him.

Using an untapped communication line, she got into contact with her master, Count Dooku aka: Darth Tyranus. Like herself, the old man could not stand failure and he would be extremely disappointed. When the hologram of the Sith Lord appeared, she prepared herself for the worse.

"Master," she greeted.

_"Were you successful in your mission, my apprentice?"_ Dooku asked.

Asajj shook her head. "I regret to inform you that I have failed."

A frown etched upon his face. _"Explain how you could have failed a simple mission."_

She quickly explained how Jabba tipped the Republic off, sending an army after her. She added, with great detail, about the Padawan she fought and lost against, but she was saved by the bell when she explained exactly what he did.

Count Dooku stroked his beard in thought. "An interesting development. A Jedi who doesn't follow the Council's guidebook to the Way of the Lightsaber. Ventress, about two standard months ago, did you not sense a tremor in the Force?"

"A tremor would be putting it lightly," Asajj answered. "The Force bombarded us with vengeance for a brief moment."

"It is possible that this boy is the cause of the disturbance," he theorized. "Ventress, bring him to me should you encounter him again, but be warned: if he is who we think he is, then he will grow stronger every passing day."

"As you wish, my Master," she replied, bowing her head.

When the hologram vanished, Asajj slammed her fist on the dashboard. Should she capture the boy, Dooku will most likely train him and make her cease to be useful. If she _killed_ him, then she would prove to be a powerful Sith that even Dooku would be stupid enough to sever ties with her. As she grew closer to her location, she began planning how she was going to make the brat suffer for this humiliation.

* * *

_(The Darby Residence)_

"That was awesome!" Jack exclaimed as Arcee parked in the garage. "I can't believe I forgot how fun that was. Would you mind telling Mom I went to bed"

"Sure thing," she answered. "Have a good night's rest, and Jack? Thanks for coming home."

"Thanks for being here, Arcee."

He walked up to his room, which remained untouched since two months ago. With the Force, he sent all the dust particles out of the window before lying down on his bed. It felt better than ever before. His last thoughts before drifting off to sleep was that he was finally home.

**NO HORRIBLE BLOWUPS! HORRAY! So ends another chapter. Of course, we all know Jack will be returning, but how and why? It's not like Jack's a danger magnet. Oh, wait...**

**Review, vote, and stuff. Ideas are welcome and I'm still looking for a battle scene writer expert. **

**Next chapter: Arcee goes after Airachnid again, but Jack takes matters into his own hands. How much has he changed?**

Update: Yeah, I kinda screwed up with the whole Ventress and Dooku thing last time. Hope this version is better and more realistic.


End file.
